Distribution of school textbooks

The Government plans to provide 25 million free school textbooks at a cost of Rs.2700 million to the country's schoolchildren in 2009. Accordingly, Rs.2020 million out of this sum will be spent for the publication of textbooks.

Education Minister Susil Premajayantha has instructed Education Publications Commissioner General Jayantha Pushpakumara to streamline the distribution process of school textbooks following a proper mechanism next year.

The official inauguration ceremony for the distribution of textbooks under the first phase was conducted at the Education Ministry premises recently. Under the first step, 354 types of textbooks will be distributed at 1,032 centres across the island.

These centres will distribute textbooks to 364 Divisional Education Offices so that they could be distributed among the schools throughout the island.

Direct distribution of textbooks would be carried out at 120 national schools with a student population of over 2,000 and to 22 private schools. Twenty pirivena institutes would also receive books.

The Minister has assured that the publication of textbooks is expected to be completed by December 11, when the third school term ends.