The new academic session for schools has started in the online mode for many schools but one of the issues that many students are facing is that they don’t have textbooks and not everyone may have the access to e-textbooks.
According to a senior government official, as the HRD ministry discusses ways to kick start the next session, one of the issues that it looks at is the availability of textbooks.
“A household, especially with poorer or rural backgrounds, may have just one smartphone or laptop, and more than one student. In some cases, there may issues related to internet connectivity. So as the ministry looks at the aspects related to the new academic year, it also has to look at the issue of availability of textbooks,” said the senior official.
The official said that as it monitors the feedback received from students, teachers and other sources on the ground, it is considering ways to ensure the availability of books.
“We are looking at various aspects. One is the hope that with time the crisis will settle and with normalcy restored, the supply of textbooks can be resumed. Another aspects is can there be a way to provide textbooks to students in their homes. Can textbooks be considered an essential good and then provided to students? The ministry is looking at all aspects and then take a suitable decision,” said the senior official.
The official added that it was keeping these aspects in mind that the ministry has initiated the plan to launch a web-portal that would have resources from class I to graduation.
The National Council for Education Research and Training (NCERT) is also bringing out an Alternative Academic Calendar, which is specially designed to teach students during the lockdown period.
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