In response to allegations that schoolchildren are yet to receive textbooks, the Educational Publications Department informed that all the necessary textbooks have already been published and printed and that measures have been taken to distribute them as soon as possible.

A senior official attached to the said Department, speaking to The Daily Morning on the condition of anonymity regarding a recent statement made by the General Secretary of the Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU), Joseph Stalin that children have not received the required textbooks yet, said that the distribution of textbooks is taking place at present without any interruption.

Meanwhile, responding to Stalin’s statement on private publishing houses selling school textbooks, he noted that the Ministry of Education has allowed them to sell some of the publications done by the Department but has not authorised printing those books.

Speaking at a media briefing held on Monday (27), Stalin claimed that although the President is going to declare education as an essential service, the current Government is not even capable of providing the school children with the required textbooks and uniforms.

He also said that while President Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Minister of Education, Attorney Dr. Susil Premajayantha held big events for the distribution of textbooks, many children have not received the textbooks that they need for the new school term.

“The Educational Publications Department should print 446 types of textbooks for the first term. It will cost Rs. 16,000 million. Initially, the Government did not print enough textbooks. They printed them using Rs. 500 million received under the Indian credit line. It is not enough at all. The students who come to the Ordinary Level classes have to get all the new textbooks anew since the textbooks are not taken back from previous students. So, in this situation, there is an obstacle for them to continue their education,” he said. 

He further said that parents are tempted to buy school textbooks from private publishing houses where these textbooks are available. “This problem has put free education in serious danger. These textbooks are to be sold in private book publishing houses. Parents are tempted to buy them because children need textbooks. This is what we call free education. The President only wants to suppress trade unions. That is why he is going to make education an essential service. Otherwise, what he should do is to provide children with essential things to continue their education without any obstacle,” he said.