No textbooks in sight even as exams approach

Even as school exams under the State board are set to begin in less than a month, a number of schools in the City have not yet received various textbooks.

 

Ujjval Vidyalaya Composite Pre-University College, Whitefield, has not received as many as 65 first language English textbooks and 65 second language Kannada textbooks for class 8. 

“When we asked our authorities they said that the books were out of stock. We had to get the photocopies of the textbooks and give them to students,” said Gita Devi, an administrator at the school. 

The East West School, Basavanagudi still requires as many as 26 class 10 second and third language Kannada textbooks. “We got a number of our textbooks very late. The class 5 and class 8 workbooks as well as Social Science textbooks for classes 9 and 6 came very late,” said Gayathri B H, principal of the school.    

Although a majority of complaints pertain to language textbooks, many schools have not received Science and Social Science textbooks. Take the case of Government High School, Gunjur, which has not yet received its requirement of class 8 English medium textbooks, namely, 45 Maths, Science and Social Science textbooks. “There is no information from the Block Education Officer (BEO) and we are somehow managing with the leftover stock from the previous year, but it is definitely difficult for the students,” said B R Hemlatha, school principal. 

Until October last year, Janaseva Vidyakendra Boys’ Residential School at Channenahalli had not received the required textbooks for classes 8, 9 and 10. This included a number of language, Social Science and Physical Education textbooks and workbooks.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, Mahantesh, principal of the school, said: “We sent the indent. However, we got the required books only in November. It is after a great deal of pain that we have received the textbooks. We had to make do with photocopies for most part of the year.” 

G S Mudambadittaya from the Karnataka Textbook Society, the body responsible for preparation and distribution of textbooks, was of the opinion that the delay in receiving textbooks was due to the actions of the schools themselves. 

“A number of these schools do not send their indent (the list of the required amount of textbooks) on time and admit more students. We send the required number of books to each BEO and in fact, 10 per cent more than the number given in the indent,” he added.