Schools told to collect text books from students; to be distributed to juniors

MYSURU: Fearing a delay in the printing and distribution of text books, the department of public instruction has asked all schools to create a text book bank through which books of students promoted to higher classes are collected and distributed among their juniors.
The headmasters have been asked to start collecting the text books from students and store them in schools. When the schools reopen, these books shall be distributed among the juniors.
The delay in text book distribution is one of the problems faced by majority of schools every year. This year, the problem is expected to escalate due to Covid-19 crisis. As per the original 2020-21 academic calendar published by the DPI, the new academic year is supposed to start from May 28. However, this is expected to get delayed now. The DPI is waiting for the government’s direction on reopening the schools.
Mysuru DDPI Panduranga said that already a communication has been sent to all schools in this regard. “The headmasters have been asked to collect text books of all students. If there is any delay in the distribution in the new academic year, these text books will be utilised to start class room activities,” he said.
“The success of this initiative depends on how the students have maintained their text books,” said a block education officer.
However, private school managements have made it clear that they are not aware of this text book bank concept. “We are not intimated to collect the text books of senior students for the juniors,” said D Shashi Kumar, general secretary, Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools (KAMS).