Deadline set to BSEM text books printers
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, May 13 2011: Drawing flaks from all corners over its inapt handling on the text book issue, the School Education Department has finally decided to cancel orders given to private firms for printing the prescribed text books of Board of Secondary Education, Manipur (BSEM) if they could not provide the printed text books within May 30 and arrange some outside firms based either in Guwahati or Kolkata for printing the text books.

According to an official of the School Education Department, the BSEM has requisitioned 68 private firms for printing the prescribed text books for school students.

If these private firms could not complete the assigned task and hand over the printed text books by May 30, the School Education Department would annul work orders given to these private firms and arrange some outside firms in Guwahati or Kolkata for printing the text books, the official disclosed.

Pointing out that erratic power supply may be one of the reasons for the delay in printing the text books, the official, however, expressed hope that at least some text books may be in stock by May 15.The official further disclosed that Principal Secretary in-charge of School Education has also reviewed the problem related to shortage of text books at a meeting today.

Meanwhile, according to another source, the delay over bringing out the text books prescribed under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) has been attributed to the efforts being made for making these text books quite different from other normal text books and the arrangement for printing them on quality water.

To ensure printing of the prescribed text books under the SSA on some quality paper like Watermark paper so as to make them look distinctive, the Department has already got in touch with various paper mills, the source added.

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