Thiruvananthapuram: Former chief minister Oommen Chandy has come down heavily on the state government for its failure to provide textbooks on time. Mr Chandy, while speaking at the training camp of the Youth Congress Kovalam mandalam committee here on Friday, pointed out that during the time of the last UDF government, the LDF had unleashed strikes against the delay in distributing textbooks. “However, they could not ensure textbooks even in August when they are in power. The DYFI is silent on the issue even after such a delay,” Mr Chandy said.
The LDF had now realised that ruling the state was not as easy as conducting strikes, Mr Chandy said. Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala also criticised the government for its failure to distribute textbooks even as Onam examinations were at the door steps. “This is surely a failure of the education department. The government should ensure textbooks before Teachers’ Day on September 5 as ministers are scheduled to take classes for students on that day,” he said.
He alleged that lakhs of textbooks in different stages of printing were stocked in presses. Moreover, the printing of as many as 60,400 textbooks was yet to begin. The print order for the same was issued only on August 11, Mr Chennithala alleged. “The government was claiming that textbooks would reach schools in four days. However, Onam examinations are scheduled to begin within four days and it would not benefit the students preparing for the examinations,” he added.
