Srinagar, Mar 24: The J&K Board of School Education (BOSE) has once again delayed the distribution of textbooks despite the new academic session scheduled to start in schools across Jammu and Kashmir on April 1.
The lower class Term-II examinations have culminated in schools and the students are provisionally being admitted in higher classes as well.
However, the BOSE has yet to start the distribution of textbooks in schools, leaving the students at the receiving end.
The delay on the part of the BOSE has received massive criticism from stakeholders who castigate the BOSE for not following its calendar to ensure the timely distribution of textbooks in schools.
The stakeholders, including teachers and parents, have voiced their concerns, citing their past experiences wherein the authorities in BOSE failed to ensure the timely distribution of textbooks in schools across Kashmir.
The teachers said that the department had instructed the schools to provisionally admit the students in the next classes from March 25 but the non-availability of textbooks plays a spoilsport.
“We are being asked to use a book bank which does not serve any purpose as we never receive adequate textbooks as per the requirement. And most of the time the textbooks get updated and we cannot provide textbooks of the previous year to students,” a teacher said.
A school teacher from Baramulla said that the Term-II examination of the students up to class 7th culminated a week ago but the schools were yet to receive the textbooks.
“We fail to understand why BOSE delays the process every year. They keep the students waiting for half of the academic session which proves costly for them in terms of academics,” said a teacher wishing not to be named.
The teachers said that last year, the textbooks reached schools in June and the schools were closed in November ending.
“The BOSE makes tall claims of timely distribution of textbooks but in reality, these books reach students only for the last four to five months,” the teacher said.
Earlier, Greater Kashmir carried a series of stories regarding the issues wherein the officials at BOSE claimed to ensure the timely distribution of textbooks this academic year, unlike in previous years.
However, all the schools are waiting for the books.
“It has not happened the first time. We always receive the textbooks once half of the academic session is over. And at the end, the government blames teachers if the syllabus remains incomplete,” another teacher said.
Notably, the BOSE has delayed the distribution of textbooks at a time when it has asked all the private schools to adopt and prescribe J&K Board-published textbooks for all classes up to 12th.
“The books are not even available in the market. We cannot wait for half of the session to purchase BOSE textbooks. The board has failed to meet the expectations,” said Abdul Rashid, a parent whose child is enrolled in a private school in Srinagar.
Last year, the BOSE, after making it mandatory for private schools to adopt BOSE textbooks, claimed that it would collect the student data from UDISE and cater to the students of private schools.
However, the new academic session has already started but the distribution of textbooks has not started.
Amid the delay, questions are being raised on the competence of the officers who failed to utilise the winter vacation months and ensure that the textbooks were distributed in advance in all schools.
“Earlier, the session would start in November but this time, the session started in March but still the board failed to deliver,” an official said.
The official said that the distribution of textbooks starts in April or May and the process continues till June or July.
“In this process, students are deprived of the basic facilities and it defeats the purpose of education in schools,” he said.
Talking to Greater Kashmir, Chairman BOSE Prof Parikshit Manhas said the new session would start from April 1 and they had prepared the schedule and shared it with all Chief Education Officers (CEOs).
“The distribution of textbooks will start from March 27. We have also informed the booksellers to take the books so that the books can be used by private schools as well,” Prof Manhas said.