Mission Samarth in its fag end, students await books
Teachers from government schools in the district said that they are still submitting demands for requisite material and a few of them did not receive any books for the past two months
Despite Mission Samarth drawing close to its end for this session, the students in the district are still without the requisite study material.
The mission’s second edition was launched in April as part of the department’s efforts to enhance leadership and effectiveness in schools across the state.
Teachers from government schools in the district said that they are still submitting demands for requisite material and a few of them did not receive any books for the past two months.
“Students are required to read and comprehend paragraphs. Without books, we have to write long paragraphs on the blackboard and students are asked to copy them in their notebooks. This consumes a lot of time and many of the students skip sentences. This affects their performance,” said a teacher at a government senior secondary school.
DEO Singh said, “Books were available at each block but could not be distributed due to the poll code. The school heads were asked to ensure that each student gets worksheets. Now, books are being distributed according to availability and schools have been instructed to submit their demands so that materials can be procured from the department in Mohali.”
Another teacher from one of the schools of eminence said the students from classes 6 to 8 have still not received the books for English and Punjabi under the mission.
The teacher added that they received the mathematics books two months after the mission started.
Although classes under the scheme were scheduled till May, they were extended after the state government announced early summer vacations amid a heatwave across Punjab.
According to district education officer (secondary) Harjinder Singh, the classes can continue in August if the department feels the mission’s motive has not been fulfilled.