Patna: Students in government schools across the district who are being promoted to the next grade have been directed to return their old textbooks as part of a redistribution drive ahead of the new academic session.
Officials from the district education office said the collected books will be reused and distributed along with new ones, in an effort to ensure timely availability of study material. New books will be provided only where old copies are unavailable or unusable.
Around 50,000 old books from classes 1 to 8 are expected to be collected. Authorities said worn-out and damaged books will not be redistributed, and fresh copies will be issued in such cases.
Meanwhile, the supply of new textbooks for classes 1 to 9 has already begun. In the first phase, the department aims to deliver approximately 4,25,000 books to schools before the new term starts. Overall, schools have placed a demand for 7,25,189 new books.
To ensure accountability, school inspection officers have been tasked with verifying distribution and submitting reports to the department.
The administration has set a deadline of April 15 for completing the delivery of requested books, although the new academic session is scheduled to begin on April 1. School principals have been instructed to continue teaching using existing books until the new supplies arrive.
According to official data, there are 5,27,623 students enrolled in classes 1 to 8 in the district, with 4,49,279 books currently available — an average of less than one book per child.
Authorities said the combined use of old and new books is expected to bridge the gap and ensure that all students have access to learning materials at the start of the session.
