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Bhubaneswar: While Odisha School and Mass Education department is all geared up to ensure zero failure rate (Zero F) in the annual HSC Examinations this year, in a shocking development, free books meant for class-10 SC/ST students were distributed today - just 3 days before the commencement of the Matric exams.
On one hand, while the Board of Secondary Education (BSE) has started dispatching question booklets to the exam centres, OTV today found out that teachers of various schools were gathered at Collegiate School in Cuttack to collect books for ST/ST students of their schools.
Asked about the incident, a school teacher of SS High School in Kakudia Narasinghapur expressed concerns and said that instead of giving books to students at the beginning of the session, the School & Mass Education department served them notice to collect books just a few days ago.
“We are not sure how it will help the students, but we will make sure that the books are provided to them,” he said.
A teacher of Gayalbank Nodal High School in Banki, Dibali Samal said that he received books for class IX and X SC/ST students today and said that since it is already late for this session, the books will be given to the next batch of students.
“We should not expect development of education in the State,” Samal said.
It may be noted that Odisha government has made a provision to provide free textbooks to all students from class I to VIII and for SC/ST students of Class IX and X.
But as per allegations, not only in Cuttack district, reports of such delayed supply of books to students have come to fore in other districts as well. While in many cases students were distributed books just 15 days ago, in others, examination-bound students are yet to receive the textbooks.
Responding to media queries on the matter, School and Mass Education Minister, Sameer Dash said there must be some flaws in the reports as the books for class X students who will take the upcoming annual HSC exams were distributed much earlier and the textbooks that are being distributed now could be for the 2020-21 batch students.
