For the first time, the education sessions have commenced with old textbooks instead of new textbooks acrossthe Punjab this year. As per the details, the students were provided with old and torn books instead of new ones.
The students couldn’t get new books due to the non-printing of books on time. There are over one crore and 50 lakh children under education in Punjab whereas more than 5 crore new books are required for the students. Sources suggest that there’s a possibility that the printing of new books will be completed during the summer holidays.
Teachers expressed concern over the difficulty children face in studying from old books saying, “It’s extremely difficult for children to study from old books as more than half of the books have already torn and children aren’t interested in studying from old books. They emphasize the need for the government to provide new books promptly.
“Providing basic facilities in schools is the responsibility of the Programme Monitoring and Implementation Unit (PMIU), said General Secretary RanaLiaqat Ali. “PMIU is responsible for the timely printing of books, Governments changes but the PMIU officers remain the same”, he added.
