KARACHI, Aug 19: The Sindh Text Book Board has marketed only five new books for students of Class IX and X this years, it was learnt officially. Chairman of the STBB, Abdul Aziz Mehranvi, said in line with the directives of the federal government’s curriculum wing, the STBB had been preparing books in phases for last a few years.

Under the ongoing process, the board had published and marketed five new books for Class SSC scheme of studies this year.

The new textbooks are: Chemistry I, Biology-I, Mathematics-I, Physics-I and Computer an optional subject. The chairman said that procedural works, including acquisition of NOC from the federal government, were being done in regard to publication of Chemistry-II and Biology-II.

To a question, he said that the STBB has not split the SSC Biology and Chemistry books under any requirement or proposal of the educational boards in the province, but those were released as part of the pursuance of the federal government’s policy about introduction of books floated some three years back.

The other three provinces have already published new or revised textbooks but Sindh had not been able to do so due to some technical reasons, he added.

The Director Technical of STBB, Masood Qureshi, said that old scheme of studies for SSC students was still in place and distribution of marks for different subjects, ie 425 marks each for Classes IX and X, also will remain unchanged for the current year.

He said that STBB has not published or marketed any new book of English, Islamiat and Urdu this year. A new book of Pakistan Studies has been published, which was taught to students of Class X under the existing scheme of studies, he said.

In the meantime, an official of the Sindh Education department said the educational boards had already been informed that examination of Chemistry and Biology papers should be given to newly-enrolled students of class IX from new books on the subject, while other things would remain unchanged.

Since the department has decided not to implement any system to split the scheme of Studies for SSC students, the students of Class IX would be taught only Chemistry and Biology/Computer from new course, while the rest of the books were from the old course, the official clarified.