No student has received complete set of books

RAJAHMUNDRY: Talk to any education official here in West Godavari district, and they reel off the numbers: about 22.64 lakh textbooks have been supplied to schools against the required number of 28.86 lakh. But now talk to parents: none of the students have received all the textbooks they need.There are some five lakh students in 4,200 schools in this district. Though the government claims it has distributed 80 per cent of the textbooks, none of the schools has received the complete set yet. With lessons having already started, students are having to rush to buy from private shopkeepers -- often at a premium. Unmindful of the reality in the schools, the education department is waiting for the arrival of the remaining stock from the depot.In Rajahmundry urban division alone, 98,000 textbooks (required number: 1.33 lakh) have been distributed to 12,808 students in 63 municipal corporation, aided and government schools. “But none of the students has received the complete set of books they need,’’ said R M Rao, a primary school teacher.M Machi Raju, a class 9 student, said. “Niether I nor my friends have got the complete set. My parents are running from shop to shop for English and social studies textbooks.’’Officials admit there is a shortage of science textbooks for classes 1 and 2. For classes 4, 5, and 5, no books have been supplied yet. Class 7 students have received no textbook except mathematics. For class 9, only the English and physics textbooks have been distributed. For class 10, only Telugu and environment studies books have been suppliedSpeaking to Express, an assistant director in the education department said, “We have done the best we can. We are waiting for the remaining stocks to come from Hyderabad.’’