close_game
close_game

5 yrs on, Bihar to revert to the old practice of supplying books to students but challenges remain

Oct 16, 2022 10:17 PM IST

Additional chief secretary, department of education, Dipak Kumar Singh, said the decision would be implemented from the new academic session starting in April to ensure the timely availability of books, along with an almanac, to the students at the start of the academic session.

PATNA: After nearly five years, the Bihar government will once again revert to the old practice of supplying books to school students, instead of transferring money through direct benefit transfer (DBT) initiated in 2017, following the state’s inability to ensure the timely availability of books, officials said.

In 2017, the Bihar government decided to do away with the old practice of supplying books to the students, due to late printing and faulty distribution mechanism, which often led to students without books for the most part of the academic session. (HT Photo)
In 2017, the Bihar government decided to do away with the old practice of supplying books to the students, due to late printing and faulty distribution mechanism, which often led to students without books for the most part of the academic session. (HT Photo)

Additional chief secretary, department of education, Dipak Kumar Singh, said the decision would be implemented from the new academic session starting in April to ensure the timely availability of books, along with an almanac, to the students at the start of the academic session.

In 2017, the Bihar government decided to do away with the old practice of supplying books to the students, due to late printing and faulty distribution mechanism, which often led to students without books for the most part of the academic session. Instead, the government worked out a plan to transfer the commensurate amount through DBT in the bank accounts of students or their guardians and moved a proposal to the Centre.

The Centre had initially expressed its inability to give one-time approval to the Bihar government’s request for the disbursement of cash to students for the purchase of books, but the state government insisted that permission for DBT be given so that the students could purchase books at the start of the academic session from the open market. However, the availability of prescribed textbooks in the open market was also not possible.

Later it was discovered that even where books were available, the students either did not get books in the open market or were reluctant to buy them, as the money invariably got spent on other necessities. Many a time, late disbursal of the amount through DBT was also reported.

Some internal surveys, including the one initiated by the department, also pointed out that the students did not purchase books, as the parents either spent the money transferred through DBT or the books were not available. In 2018, it came to light that less than 20% of students purchased books.

This has prompted the government to revert to the old practice by outsourcing printing work to private bidders and supplying books to schools through the Bihar state textbook publishing corporation(BSTBPC). Bihar has over 75,000 government primary schools.

Though the Bihar government is mandated under the right to education act to provide free books to students in classes 1 to 8, its availability has remained a significant challenge despite continued experiments. The Patna high court had earlier also taken exception to missing textbooks in schools while hearing public interest litigation (PIL) and asked the state government to take effective steps for the timely supply of books. Earlier this year, the HC had also stayed the tendering process for the publication and supply of foundational textbooks for students between six and nine years after petitioners alleged serious anomalies.

Though the issue was raised in the Bihar assembly also quite a few times, the assurance and blame game did not help the students. “Supplying books is always the right thing, but the moot point is if the state will be able to ensure it. Bihar will need nearly six-crore books to be printed for classes 1 to 8, for which the process has to start at least six months before. The corporation itself does not publish books and floats tenders both for papers as well as printing. What is important is that the students should timely get books in,” said senior school teacher Abhishek Kumar.

Tell us what your First Vote will stand for in a short video & get a chance to be featured on HT’s social media handles. Click here to know more!

Stay updated Bihar Lok Sabha Result and with all the Breaking News and Latest News from Bengaluru. Click here for comprehensive coverage of top cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and more across India . Stay informed on the latest happenings in World News.
See More
Tell us what your First Vote will stand for in a short video & get a chance to be featured on HT’s social media handles. Click here to know more!

Stay updated Bihar Lok Sabha Result and with all the Breaking News and Latest News from Bengaluru. Click here for comprehensive coverage of top cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and more across India . Stay informed on the latest happenings in World News.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On