Two schools on the northern fringes of the city, part of the same chain, have started delivering textbooks to homes of students through a food delivery platform.

The institutions — St Augustine’s Day School in Barrackpore and Shyamnagar — had started online classes on March 29. The management was flooded with requests from parents who wanted the textbooks to be delivered home because the lockdown had prevented their distribution.

The requests prompted the schools to tie up with the food delivery app to deliver the books to the students.

Delivery of books started on Friday and will continue for the next 10 days.

The students of Classes X and XII had got their books before the lockdown started.

Those from Nursery to Class IX and of Class XI will get their books through the delivery platform.

“Many parents had already paid for the books. When we had an online meeting with all parents, many asked for the books. Those who want can get the books now and others can take them after the schools reopen,” said Janet Gasper Chowdhury, the president of St Augustine’s Education Society, which runs the two schools.

The schools have decided to continue with the online classes through the summer vacation, said Amitava Chowdhury, the society’s chief executive officer and secretary.

“The online classes can achieve 70 per cent of what is done in classroom. We have decided to provide this option to parents and till now about 2,900 parents from both schools have responded,” Chowdhury said.

The parents opting for the service are being charged for delivery depending on the distance. “I got the books within half an hour of making the request. My son had collected a few books from a senior but getting a new set of books for a new class is exciting,” said Bikash Koley, whose son is in Class VIII.