Govt to upload e-textbooks for all classes

Every year, the Stateowned Tamil Nadu Textbooks Corporation is being entrusted with the task of printing about 10 crore number of textbooks for all classes. The printing works of the textbooks will usually start by April.

A senior official from the Directorate of School Education told DT Next that a tender was floated for the printing of textbooks on March 9 itself through the corporation.

“With the tender formalities expected to be completed by March third week, the printing works should have been started in the first week of April,” he said, adding “however, due to total shutdown, the work could not be carried out as per schedule”.

Pointing out that the printing of textbooks will be further delayed if the total shutdown is further extended after May 3, the official said “Since we have all the textbooks in the CD format, the authorities will be taking measures to upload them on the website very soon”.

“During the first phase, textbooks for Classes 10, 11 and 12 will be uploaded since students studying these standards will be facing board exams,” he said, adding, “during the second stage, textbooks of Classes 8 and 9 will be uploaded in the portal”. The official said since trimester systems were being followed from Class 1 and Class 7, the textbooks for the students studying in those standards will be uploaded accordingly.

Stating that the uploading of e-textbooks will be intimated to the management of schools, he said “accordingly, the headmasters and principals of the schools will, in turn, inform the parents and the students”.