ISLAMABAD: Sixth graders in Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) schools have yet to receive their textbooks - seven weeks after the academic year began.

The affected students are also concerned that the will not have their books during their summer holidays, which begin on June 3 and end Aug 19.

Sources said students will suffer more if they are not provided their books before the summer holidays begin.

The delay in the distribution of textbooks has affected students’ education and teachers, who say they will have to work extra hard to make sure coursework is completed in this academic year.

“So far, we have not provided books. We are running classes based on some notes. If the books are not provided before the summer vacation, it will be difficult for students and teachers to complete the course after August,” a teacher, who asked not to be named, said.

Sources in the FDE said that the directorate wanted to introduce new textbooks this year in accordance with the curriculum for six grade, because of which students were not given their books on time.

An official from the FDE said that the directorate has finally placed orders with the National Book Foundation (NBF) to print books after a series of review meetings.

“We are hopeful that the books will be printed soon. We are trying that the books should be published because summer vacation begins, otherwise during summer vacation we will ensure that the required books are printed by all means,” the official said.

When asked about the effect on students, he said: “I do agree that the books were not provided on time, but we provided copies of the first two chapters of the unpublished books to teachers to avoid a loss to students.”

FDE-run school have been provided free textbook by the government after the implementation of Article 25-A in the capital. Students faced immense difficulty in the initial years, as the books were provided months into the start of the academic session. Significant improvement has been seen in the last few years, and the issue arose this year because of a change in syllabus that the FDE has said will be resolved soon.

Federal Government Teachers Association President Malik Ameer toldDawn on Wednesday that it was alarming that sixth graders have not been given their books with summer holidays just around the corner.

“After summer vacation, second term will start. So books should be provided before the commencement of vacations so students can revise,” he said.

FDE Director General Syed Umair Javed said that the curriculum council recently approved a new syllabus for sixth grade.

“After this approval, we placed orders with the NBF to print the books,” he said, adding that every possible effort is being made to provide the students with textbooks before summer holidays begin. He said he is in constant contact with the NBF so that the books are printed soon, adding that he was hopeful that the NBF will publish a significant number of book titles in the next week.

He said teachers were provided soft copies of the unpublished books and notes to teach with.

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2019