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Ludhiana: Parents bear financial brunt of delay in PSEB’s textbook distribution process
The PSEB students, who are yet to receive the NCERT textbooks, are left with no other option but to buy subject guides a month ahead of their final board exams. Their parents are bearing the financial brunt of the delay in textbook distribution.
The Punjab School Education Board students, who are yet to receive the NCERT textbooks, are left with no other option but to buy subject guides a month ahead of their final board exams.
Their families are bearing the financial brunt of the delay in textbook distribution.
Khushi, a Class 10 student of a government high school, said, ‘I am yet to get my textbooks from the school including Punjabi, SST Part 1, English literature and English grammar. I have repeatedly requested my teachers to provide the same, but they asked me to buy the subject guides. Each subject guide costs around ₹250.”
Though Khushi managed to buy a few old books from a private bookshop, her father, a labourer, was furious when she sought money for the same.
“My father asked me why he should pay for the study guides when at the time of admission, the department had promised to provide us with the books. He works hard to earn money. I don’t feel like putting pressure on him,” added Khushi.
Another student, Ajay Pal Singh of Class 10, expressed the same concern.
“My father works at an electronic shop. As I haven’t received my textbooks yet, I requested him to buy me a smartphone. It will help me access the study material shared online by our teachers in the absence of books. I have bought guides from private books shops in the market,” said Ajay Pal.
Meanwhile, teachers are finding it cumbersome to teach students without books. Various schools including, GHS, Kot Mangal Singh, GHS Jawaddi, and Guru Nanak Khalsa Senior Secondary School Gujarkhan, Model Town, had recently sought books from the department.
“It is not easy for students to understand concepts properly without textbooks. The department should have provided them by now as there’s hardly any time left for the students to prepare for their board exams,” said Sukhdarshan Singh, a teacher at GHS, Kot Mangal.
Meanwhile, a senior education official said, “A few schools have surplus books. We have asked them to deposit the same with their BPEOs. Once the books are collected at the Punjabi Bhawan, we will send them to other schools as per their requirement.”
