It has been more than one and half months since the new academic session kicked off in Odisha, but students of Class 10 in the State are reportedly yet to get certain textbooks forcing them to study old books. The inordinate delay in the delivery of the textbooks has affected the study of the students.
As per sources, although the schools were reopened on June 17, the students are yet to get their Biology and Geography books. While the government is yet to deliver the books to various schools, the new books are also not available in the market.
The Board of Secondary Examination (BSE) revised the syllabus for Class IX and X students. Pandemic Management has been added to the new syllabus of Biology and Disaster Management has been added to Geography.
So, the new books will arrive after the inclusion of the Management chapters, reports said. Already the students are reeling under Covid-19 loss due to the closure of schools, now the unavailability of books has added to their woes.
A Class X student, Subrat Parida said, “Pandemic Management will be included in Biology and Disaster Management in Geography. These two books are neither given to us nor available in the market. Teachers have assured us that we would get the books soon. Until then, we will have to depend on PDF.”
“We haven’t received Life Science and Geography books. There is a change in the syllabus, so the books are not yet available. We have been running to book stores, but they have been saying the books will be available in 15 days. Now, we have to depend on old books only,” said another Class X student of Jeypore Government High School.
Book vendor, Parthanag Pal said, “Every day 40-50 customers come to us asking for the books. Books are not available in the Board office. Students are returning sadly with no books. Teachers are asking them to study using PDF. How can they study using PDF?”
Similarly, headmaster of Saraswati Sishu Mandir, Bhubaneswar, Bishnucharan Sahu said, “Since, the government has revised the syllabus. It is very important to make the books available as soon as possible. Students have to prepare for exams very soon.”
On the other hand, Samir Ranjan Dash, School and Mass Education Minister said, “I think the books are available at book stores and also schools. I have no information about the books not being made available to students. Something must have happened in exceptional cases, but I will look into it.”
Worth mentioning, the Odisha government has revised the syllabus of Class 9 and 10 and introduced Disaster Management and Pandemic Management in the high school curriculum from 2022-23 academic session. The topics have been included in the Geography and Biology books of Class 9 and 10 respectively.
The changes have been effected by the Board of Secondary Education (BSE) in accordance with the instructions of the State government. The new syllabus has been made available on the official website of the Board of Secondary Education (BSE), Odisha www.bseodisha.ac.in
The Board has reportedly directed the District Education Officers (DEOs) and the headmasters of all schools to inform the students about the new subjects.