Lessons not learnt: Textbook distribution bungled again

The Ceylon Teachers Union ( CTU) has charged that the Government is yet to complete the school textbook distribution for next year, with some 13 percent of the textbooks remaining undistributed.

The union's general secretary, Joseph Stalin, said the Education Publ i c at i o n Department, which is the authority responsible for textbook publication and distribution, had acknowledged that they had distributed only 87 percent of the books.

Some 39,714,000 textbooks printed for students from grade 1 to 12 have been distributed to schools, by the time schools closed for third term holidays on Friday. Mr. Stalin said it was important that the students were given the text books before the holidays so that they could prepare for the next academic year.

He said that last year, too, the authorities bungled the textbook distribution, by printing only half the quantity required.

He said that, as a result, schoolchildren and parents were found standing in lines to receive the books.

The Education Ministry promised to distribute the books at a later date, but it never happened and children had to buy most of their textbooks.

"Free education is for all and we ask the Education Ministry to give all schoolchildren their books on time, without inconveniencing them," Mr. Stalin said. (CC)