School notebook covers with actors’ pictures banned

The school education department has banned the use of pictures of film actors, models and singers on the notebook covers of students of government schools on the ground that it is having a “distracting influence”.

The school education department has banned the use of pictures of film actors, models and singers on the notebook covers of students of government schools on the ground that it is having a “distracting influence”.

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Instructions to this effect have been issued to all district education officers.

Talking to HT on Friday, director general of school education Kahan Singh Pannu said he had asked all school heads and teachers to check the notebooks of students and make sure that there are no such pictures or anything depicting vulgarity on the covers.

“The market is flooded with such notebooks. It has been found that students discuss the pictures on notebook covers and indulge in gossip, which distracts them from studies. This is having a negative influence. The notebook covers should be simple and all schools have been asked to ensure this,” he said.

The trend of using such notebooks is more prevalent in rural areas. “Such notebook covers cause embarrassment to teachers. We often punish the students for it, but it does not seem to be having much effect. Even parents do not seem to be bothered,” said the principal of a government senior secondary school in Sangrur.

The department has also decided to take strict action against the teachers teaching from guides instead of using blackboards. “It has been observed that students are forced to buy guides, since many teachers, especially the ones teaching mathematics, are also using them. The department has imposed a complete ban on the use of guides by teachers, and all district education officers have been asked to comply with the orders,” said Pannu.