Summary
The schools will open for physical classes from Monday after completing an extended summer vacation that started in April
Heads of several state-aided schools have sought to know when the
language textbooks for Class XI would be available from the state higher secondary council.
The schools will open for physical classes from Monday after completing an extended summer vacation that started in April.
They raised the question during an interactive session convened by the council at
the Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya, Narendrapur, on Thursday.
Last week, the council uploaded the PDF versions of Bengali, English and Hindi textbooks because they are yet to be printed and distributed among students.
Government and government-aided schools had been told to download the PDF versions so students could be taught.
The council distributes Bengali, English and Hindi language books from the schools free of cost. The students are required to buy books for the other subjects.
A headmaster said when they were printing the downloaded PDF versions of the books, the printout was illegible in many cases.
The secretary of the HS council, Priyadarshini Mallick, attended the sensitisation camp with the heads of institutions at the Narendrapur school.
A schoolteacher said it was difficult to arouse interest in a subject if the students did not have books.
“As the schools open on Monday, the teachers will come to the classes with the printout of the textbook. Students won’t have anything. This is not a way to conduct classes, that too in a semesterised system,” said Swapan Mandal who teaches English in a government-aided school in Calcutta.
The council is printing books afresh as the plus-II course that has been split into four semesters — semesters I and II for Class XI and III and IV for Class XII.
The council’s academic calendar says semester-I exams will be held from September 13 to 30.
“If we don’t get books on time how will the students be prepared to write the first-semester examination? The council asked the schools to start online Classes in XI in early May as the schools were shut from April 22 for heatwave and then extended for the Lok Sabha polls. Language classes could hardly be held,” said Chandan Maity, headmaster, Krishnachandrapur High School at Mathurapur in South 24-Parganas.
Saugata Basu, the secretary of the Government School Teachers’ Association, said: “The crisis of books surfaced because of the lack of planning....”
Secretary Mallick said: “The textbooks will be distributed by June 20....The situation could not be helped as the government press was busy with other assignments during the election season.”
Last updated on 08 Jun 2024
