VISAKHAPATNAM: It is more than a month since the schools were reopened for the new academic year, but textbooks seem to elude many students of Class VI to X. Around 20 lakh textbooks are required for the schools in the district, but only 60 per cent of the books were received in three phases. The delay is mainly for the students of English medium schools. As some schools have begun English medium from the current academic year, they are managing classes with the books of old students.
With around 6 lakh students studying in the district, the Education Department has taken an initiative of embedding QR codes in the textbooks for topics in science/experiments/procedures so that the codes will redirect students to the digital classroom where animations, graphics and videos are presented while learning. However, many schools are yet to get their textbooks. While the majority of the Telugu medium students have got their books, 50 per cent of the English medium textbooks from Class VI to VIII are yet to reach the schools.
According to sources, there is the delay in printing books with QR codes and technical slag in uploading details of the students in Mytextbook app. Six lakh students in the district comprise 3.1 lakh students of the primary school, 1.8 lakh of upper primary and 1.2 lakh of high school. With each class strength being 40, students are told to share the old textbooks and write notes in the classroom so that they can study at home.
“We have been getting textbooks in phases and almost all the Telugu medium students got them, but 50 per cent of the English medium textbooks are yet to be supplied. We were told that books would be received in another one week. To manage studies, we maintain a library with old textbooks,” said Janardhan, principal of MVD High School. The Telugu medium students got their textbooks in four phases. Since English medium was introduced in some classes this year, there has been the delay in printing.