New academic session starts without textbooks

ISLAMABAD

The new academic session has started two weeks ago in the educational institutions under Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) but still the students are still without textbooks.
The classes for the new session started on April 14 but the required books could not be published in time by the authorities concerned due to which students are facing difficulties towards their studies.
Afzal Ahmad, father of three said, “My children are studying in FDE-run institutions and they have received only one or two textbooks so far.”
“I tried to buy the relevant books from the market but these were not available,” the parent said.
Hina Inam, a teacher at a model college, said, “The college administration managed availability of old textbooks for the students to avoid wastage of their precious time.”
“However students are not much enthusiastic for studying through the old books at the onset of new academic session”, she observed.
According to FDE, maximum titles have been delivered to the institutions, while the remaining will be made available soon.
The publishing of books was tasked to the National Book Foundation, but it was delayed due to stay order by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on selection of books through tendering.
Now the stay, the official said, had been vacated and an amount of Rs 90 million would be released to NBF and non-available books would be published and distributed among the students soon, he said.
A senior official of Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) said hat process of providing free textbooks would be completed by first week of May.
A mechanism has been devised to provide free text books to students of all classes along with the result which would be implemented from next academic session, the official said.