KOZHIKODE: With schools getting the schedules for the first terminal examination, teachers are confused about how they will conduct the exams, when many of their students still do not have textbooks. Their major worry is that even the prominent teachers’ and students unions are not taking up the issue that affects thousands of students in the state. Former Education Minister P.K. Abdu Rabb said that 85 per cent of the printing of the textbooks were over by May 5 and the rest would be over by August, except for the plus one and plus two students, for whom the textbooks were not free.
He added that the current issues were related to the distribution of textbooks and not printing. However, he wondered why the ruling party that had demanded a judicial probe against him on the same issue last year, was silent now. “V.S. Achuthanandan had demanded that I should be removed from the post of education minister and a judicial probe be carried out. Now, they are silent. I will not criticise the education minister alone, since printing and distribution of textbooks are a combined effort of many departments including store purchasing, printing, KBPS and CAPT. This time, some schools have also failed in collecting books from the sub centres,” Mr Rabb said.
The first terminal examination is scheduled to start on August 30, and end on September 7. The total days of examination are six. The subjects without practicals have to start at 1.45pm and end at 4.30pm, including a cool off time of 15 minutes. However, for subjects with practicals, except biology and music, the exam ends at 4pm. On Fridays, the exam will start at 2pm and end at 4.45pm. Meanwhile, the photostat business is flourishing with the language textbooks for the plus one and plus two students. While the English textbook for the plus one students costs '80, the photostat set costs Rs 70. With no concern over the copyright violation, shops are selling them like hot cakes, as the first terminal examination is about to start.
