LAHORE – Unavailability of the prescribed Computer Science book for Class 8 has become a headache for the parents and young students as the exams approach, Pakistan Today has learnt.
According to Punjab Examination Commission (PEC), the Punjab Textbook Board will not publish the Computer Science book now but the exam will be taken according to the National Curriculum 2006. PEC official told Pakistan Today that the course outline was clear enough in National Curriculum 2006 and there were various private publishers who had published the Computer Science book according to the National Curriculum 2006.
With exams to start in around 50 days, hectic date sheet and load shedding were already the major concerns for the students. Mubashir Gulzar, a private school teacher, said, “Parents remained in a fix during the entire year and used to ask if they should wait for the official book or trust the private books.”
He said the book was not published because of the incompetence of relevant authorities. Computer Science was made a compulsory subject and students needed an official book, he added. Parents said that without the availability of books by the Punjab Textbook Board, nepotism could prevail when the students were forced to buy books from private publishers, who could exploit the students under these conditions.
They requested the school education department to take up the issue. PEC Senior Research Fellow Bashir Gondal said, “Even though the PEC has not recommended any book for Computer Science but the book by Asian Traders is according to the National Curriculum 2006.” He did not categorically say that why the official book was not published but said that Computer was made a compulsory subject this year as an alternate to Arabic.
He said Arabic had been a compulsory subject from grade 6 to 8, on which private schools had complained and suggested Computer Science as an alternate and on their recommendation this subject was made compulsory. Urdu Bazar Asian Trader’s spokesman said that their book was according to the curriculum and therefore was considered appropriate for Class 8 Computer Science exam.
He said that though the book was not recommended by PEC but its sale was high due to its low price and quality.
