05 July 2004	Monday	16 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

HYDERABAD, July 4: The Sindh Text Book Board has informed students that the Sindh education department has decided to open government primary schools in the province on July 9 and 10 for distribution of free textbooks.

In a statement faxed to Dawn on Sunday, the board secretary said that the distribution of 14 million books among 2.8 million primary school students would be undertaken in the districts which had received books by June 30, in accordance with the schedule.

He said that the STBB and the education department had formed monitoring teams, comprising senior officers and community members, to supervise the distribution in their areas.

He requested parents, teachers, students, elected representatives and NGOs to extend their cooperation in making the exercise a success in a transparent manner. The EDOs, ADOs, elementary DOs and education officers had been asked to develop foolproof methods to ensure the distribution of books, he said.

The STBB had also set up a central operation and monitoring cell at its Jamshoro office which would remain open from 8am to 5pm on July 9 and 10 to provide guidance and information, the official concluded.