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Schools reopen but students can't go back to their books
Book worms are Out
and IT whizkids are in. The Gujarat State Education Board (GSEB) seems
to have taken this change literally so text books of many subjects are
not available in the market.
Its been two weeks since
the Gujarat Board schools have reopened, but textbooks have not yet made
it to the shelves of the book shops and stationers. Schools reopened after
a Lengthy vacation so students were eager for classes to begin. Their
wait has come to an end and the schools have reopened, regular classes
are still a distant dream. Parents are complaining that textbooks of many
subjects are not available in the market.
The first standard English-medium
students face the biggest problem as the English and Mathematics textbooks
are not available. The reason for the non-availability is that the syllabus
for these classes has been re-designed this year so the print order was
executed late.
Minti Patel, whose daughter
Shaini studies in the first standard at NR School says, "Currently,
the teachers at concentrating on teaching spellings, poems and counting.
They are waiting for the textbooks to arrive so that they can start off
with the regular syllabus for the year. Though
the teachers have started with what they call the ‘basic syllabus’, most
parents complained that they have no textbooks to refer to while helping
the children with their home work or revising their class work.
The textbook of the ninth
standard Social Science is also not available in the market. "Ever
since the school reopened, I have been making trips to bookstalls in the
city for the textbook, but in vain. Though our teacher is understanding
and allows us to attend class without a textbook, its difficult for us
to follow a lesson or do our home work, without one," says Binoli
Shah who is a ninth standard student of AG High School. Most bookstall
keepers have been complaining about these books not being available. ‘About
100 parents and students regularly inquire about these books. At times,
parents are rude and demand books from us ," says Nishith Shah of
Prakash Book Stall in Ellisbridge.
These books are not available
anywhere in the mar- ket as they have not yet been printed by the Gujara
State Textbook Board (GSTB). According to the Deputy Director of GSTB
LS Chavda, the books are being printing arid will hit the stands soon.
The first standard books would be available in the market some time next
week, the Social Science text book of the ninth standard and other textbooks
will be available by the end of this week.
He added, "New syllabus
is not the only reason for the delay. Even the non-availability of paper
has added to the problem. The paper was received two, months late."
Other textbooks that are not easily available in the market are the Science
and Maths text books of standard eighth, Social Science and Mathematics
for standard seventh and Computer and Sanskrit for students of the eighth
and ninth standard of the Gujarati medium.
Republished from The Indian Express
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