Andhra Pradesh to provide free textbooks and notebooks to intermediate students
VIJAYAWADA: The State government has decided to distribute free notebooks and textbooks to support intermediate students studying at Government Junior Colleges, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas, AP Model Schools, AP Residential Educational Institutions, and High School Plus programmes. Principal Secretary for School Education Praveen Prakash issued a GO to this effect on Tuesday.
Further, the Commissioners of School Education, Intermediate Education, Samagra Shiksha State Project Director, and directors of Telugu Academy and Textbook Press have been instructed to take necessary action to ensure the distribution of the books to the students by July 15, 2024.
Pointing out that the pass rates for intermediate first and second-year students are 67% and 78% respectively, the GO stated that the decision to distribute free books to intermediate students was taken to improve educational outcomes.
Recognising the importance of providing textbooks on time, and noting that many students come from BPL (Below Poverty line) families, the State has decided to extend the provision of free textbooks, notebooks, and school bags to students in Classes XI and XII. The initiative will benefit 2,00,753 students across the specified institutions.
The procurement of books and bags will follow the same specifications as those provided to Class X students. Each student will receive 12 notebooks, each containing 200 pages. The Director of Telugu Academy will provide a digital copy of the textbooks to the Director of Textbook Press for printing, with the Department of School Education compensating the Telugu Academy for the textbooks supplied, explained Praveen Prakash.
Samagra Shiksha State Project Director has been designated as the nodal officer responsible for the supply of textbooks and distribution of bags and notebooks from the existing stock. Should the current stock be insufficient, the Project Director is authorised to place additional orders, the orders stated.