The new academic year began on Monday when all the schools in the Union Territory reopened. While there is a lot of enthusiasm among the private school students with new books, note books and uniforms, government school students were still to be distributed books and uniforms.
The reason for the delay in supplying text books to students is a delay in payment to the suppliers of books, according to the Tamil Nadu Textbook Corporation. On the other hand, the Anglo French Textile Mills (AFT) is the official supplier of uniforms.
Pondicherry Students and Parents Welfare Association President V Balasubramanian, in a statement, urged the government to provide books, uniforms and footwear at the earliest so that students of 764 government schools in Puducherry and Karaikal regions are not affected.
The cash for supplying books would be remitted and the books would be procured and supplied by Friday, said Director of School Education E Vallavan. The uniforms for students up to Class V would be supplied within two weeks and the students of the higher classes would be given the same within a month.
Vallavan said the AFT chairman too had given an assurance for the same stating that the material for the uniforms had already been produced and was in stock at the mill.
