Bangalore, Mar 5 (DHNS): The State government has taken measures to ensure that textbooks for the State board schools are available much ahead of the beginning of the academic year 2011-12, Primary and Secondary Education Minister Visvesvara Hegde Kageri informed the Legislative Council on Friday. 

The printing of textbooks has begun and 25 per cent of distribution has been completed, the minister said in reply to a question raised by Bharati Shetty of the BJP.

Shortage of textbooks has been a common complaint from students, parents, and school authorities every year.

Kageri said distribution of textbooks to block education officers would be completed by April this year and school authorities can collect the books from them.
He said orders for printing were given in December last year and printers were also strictly instructed to provide books within the stipulated time.

He said textbooks were being printed on quality paper. A buffer stock would be maintained to ensure availability even in the middle of the academic year.

Medical allowance

Kageri said the government was keen on implementing the long-pending demand for medical allowance for teachers in aided institutions.

Replying to another question by Puttanna of the JD(S), he said the proposal had been forwarded to the Finance Department for consideration. If approved, as many as 44,907 teachers in aided primary, high schools and pre-university colleges would be eligible for medical allowance. The benefit would cost the exchequer Rs 4.75 crore per annum, he said.

Answering a question from M R Doreswamy (BJP), Higher Education Minister V S Acharya said he would meet Union Human Resources Development Minister Kapil Sibal urging him to restore the power of the State government to sanction polytechnics.