Swat District Struggles with Textbook Shortages Amid New Academic Year

SWAT: Even after more than three-weeks have passed since the new academic year started in Swat district, the children could not get new books.
According to the government policy, by giving new books to some children and old books to some children, the feeling of deprivation is increasing among the students. The counting children have been given tattered old books.
“However, due to the lack of all the books, the educational journey has not yet started in the schools.”
The new academic year has started in Swat district from April 11 and the government has also announced a campaign to enroll one million new children in the entire province, but the children have not been provided with free textbooks yet, which is the reason. The educational process has not started yet.
According to the parents of the children, old books have been taken from their foster children while only a few children have been given old books to the poor children.
“Most of the children in schools are still forced to go to school without books and they spend the whole day in school and return home without studying.” The parents said.
On the other hand, it has been claimed by the government that by distributing the old books from the passing children to the children coming to the new classes, the government has benefited Rs four billion.
In this regard, when District Education Officer Swat Mohammad Riaz was contacted, he said that old but good condition books have been distributed among the children in all schools in Swat as per the government policy and the education has also been started in the same way.