A month after reopening, government school students across Tamil Nadu yet to receive some textbooks
A month after classes began, many government schools across the State are yet to receive their textbooks, particularly those for Classes IV and V. Many
A month after classes began, many government schools across the State are yet to receive their textbooks, particularly those for Classes IV and V. Many teachers also said they were yet to receive the handbook that was supposed to help them plan lessons in line with the new curriculum for Classes I-III that was implemented this academic year. Gayathri M., whose child is in Class III, said she had not received some of the new textbooks. “We received the Tamil and English textbooks, but not ones for the other subjects. My child takes notes during lessons and studies using those, but we have no way to verify if her learning is correct,” she said.
Parents also said they did not know if PDF versions of the textbooks were available. Workbooks for students of Classes IV and V have also not reached the students. “My child is studying in Tamil medium and has not received any of the books. She has to share with others to study. It has been a month, and the term will be ending soon,” said Sivagami B., the mother of a Class V student. In most schools, teachers said only half the students had received the textbooks. “Students have to share their textbooks during classes as well. They take notes during lessons and do their homework based on those. It has been difficult to keep track of each student’s progress without a textbook of their own,” said a teacher from Chennai Primary School in Mogappair.
With the new curriculum for Classes I-III out this year, a handbook was released in May to help teachers prepare for classes. However, many teachers said they were yet to receive the handbooks, making it difficult for them to teach the new curriculum. “Teachers who have the handbook share it with the others, so the latter can teach their classes. We are having a tough time managing like this,” said a teacher from a government school in Tiruvannamalai. Officials from the School Education Department said books had been distributed according to the needs mentioned by the school heads. However, officials denied any delay in the distribution of teacher handbooks, as these had already reached the teachers.
For Classes IV-V, handbooks from the previous years could be used, they said. “In select districts, because of new admissions, there is a shortage of textbook, which is being addressed right now. The books will reach the schools in the next two to three days,” said P.A. Naresh, Director of Elementary Education. According to a source in the department, about 96% of workbooks for Classes IV-V has reached the students. “The rest will reach them by Tuesday evening,” the official added.
The BriefWire