KARACHI, Jan 8: Sindh education department will have a centralised procurement of books in English, Urdu and Sindhi languages for libraries of 238 government colleges throughout the province for the year 2006-07 and onwards, it was learnt officially.

The provincial government had allocated Rs23 million in its annual budget for the purchase of library books in bulk for the ongoing financial year.

The books to be purchased on the order of provincial education manager (colleges) will be an addition to libraries apart from what college principals are supposed to purchase through the library fund they collect from students every year.

Sindh Education Manager Dr Mohammad Ali Shaikh said each college would get books in Urdu, Sindhi and English worth about Rs97,000.

We will order for books in three languages for every college and the amount allocated for one college will again be distributed equally for Urdu, Sindhi and English language books, he added, saying that colleges will get the books likely in March.

Dr Shaikh said the government colleges had small or medium sized libraries, where a persistent complaint had been non-addition of new books on regular basis.

Now the colleges are also being asked to constitute their respective library committees, comprising parents, teachers and local men and women of letters, who will select books and periodicals for procurement by respective colleges.

It was learnt that education department had invited publishers and suppliers in the first week of December 2006 for provision of books to 238 colleges against which it received the lists of titles along with discounted prices of each book from about 25 parties.

The parties showing interests in supplying the books have been required to deliver the books, after selection of titles and placement of orders by a special committee, at five regional headquarters of the college managers at Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Larkana and Mirpurkhas.

In the meantime, Sindh Education Minister Dr Hamida Khuhro has approved constitution of a book selection committee, which will be headed by Karachi University Vice-Chancellor Dr Pirzada Qasim. The committee members include intellectuals and academics and the provincial education manager (colleges), who will also perform as the secretary of the committee.

According to the circular of education department, the terms of the reference for this committee shall be to go through the lists of the books submitted by the publishers/suppliers and select appropriate titles in three languages i.e. English, Urdu and Sindhi for all the public sector colleges. The books will be purchased on the recommendations of the committee.