Bengaluru: In a move to alleviate the burden on students, Karnataka state board textbooks will be split into two from the next academic year. The proposal aims to reduce the weight of school bags for grades 1-10 by dividing textbooks into two parts, one for each term. The committee overseeing this initiative conducted a pilot study, sending 50 copies of textbooks to selected schools for 15 days. Based on positive outcomes, the Karnataka Textbooks Society proposed the plan to the government, leading to an issued order.
The committee suggests that splitting textbooks will allow students to carry one part for the first half of the year and the other part for the remaining period, effectively lightening their load. However, this proposal comes with an additional cost of Rs 10 crore, as printing two textbooks will increase the page count by 8-10 pages per book. Despite the added expense, the government order mandates implementation without further cost.
To offset the expense, it is recommended that the textbooks’ page reduction due to a streamlined syllabus will compensate for the increased printing cost. Schools are also advised to ensure that supplementary workbooks adhere to the recommended textbook weight, distributing them at the school level as worksheets. Routine checks by authorities at various levels will provide feedback to teachers, emphasizing the goal of students carrying only one textbook and one notebook per subject, along with a single rough notebook. While the initiative aims to benefit students, challenges include dealing with existing unsold textbooks and additional publication expenses for the split textbooks.
