Thiruvananthapuram: The third phase of virtual classes for school students in Kerala began via KITE Victers channel and social media platforms on Monday. However, most students are yet to get their textbooks.
Though the educational department said that books should be delivered to the schools by June 20, only half the number has been distributed.
Authorities have now said that the textbooks will be distributed by June 30.
The printing of the books had been delayed due to the COVID-19 lockdown. The Kerala Books and Publications Society at Kakkanad completed the printing of the books only the other day. Around 2.82 crore books were printed. Of these, 30 lakh books are for the unaided school. The government has to distribute 2.5 crore books to the public schools. Around 1.2 crore books have been distributed.
Most of the classes are now teaching the second chapters. Complaints have been raised that the children's studies are affected due to the lack of textbooks. This has proved to be yet another challenge for students, who are already facing difficulties in following the online classes.
The books are being distributed to the school societies at the district level. Apart from the education department staff, members of 201 Kudumbashree units are also involved in the task.
