VEHARI, Sept 27: A number of students and their parents have expressed concern over prolonged unavailability of textbooks in government schools in various parts of the district.

They said the education department had failed to provide textbooks to thousands of students of middle and matriculation in different schools despite a passage of six months.

The Punjab government had pledged to provide free textbooks to the students from class-I to matriculation in every state-run school in the province to promote education and enhance the literacy rate.

Sources said the new session had been started six months ago but the department had failed to provide textbooks to the students.

Meanwhile, rumours have it that some ‘black sheep’ in the department have already sold the textbooks in market.

The officials deny the charge and said the department had distributed textbooks up to the matriculation level.

They, however, admitted that there might be shortage in some schools but most of the institutions had already been provided with books.

The students complain that they have not been able to study properly owing to unavailability of books and it will cost them during examinations.

Some of them fear loss of academic year and have urged the authorities concerned to immediately provide them with the books.

Meanwhile, various government schools have refused to enrol from Sept 15 the new students who have passed the primary and middle examinations.

Parents of some of the

students told Dawn that their children had passed the class-V and class-VIII examinations this year but the Government Girls High School, F- Block,and the Government Girls High School, 9-11/WB had refused to give admissions.

Other complainants said they paid Rs55 admission fee (for each student) to the teachers concerned, though the government claims that no admission fee will be charged.

A girls’ school headmistress told this correspondent that they had stopped the new admission to class-VI and class-IX owing to shortage of staff. She admitted that the institute charged Rs55 from each student who was given admission before Sept 15.

When contacted, EDO (Education) Ms Naseem Mansoor said she had received complaints about the shortage of textbooks and would hold an inquiry to ascertain whether there was any wrongdoing in the department.

Answering a question about the charging of Rs55 admission fee from each student, she said she would take appropriate action against the school administration.