SHILLONG: The Khasi Jaintia Deficit School Teachers Association and Garo Hills Deficit School Teachers Association have expressed satisfaction with the overall process of selection of new textbooks by the Meghalaya Board of School Education.
Speaking to media persons after a joint meeting of the two teachers’ organisations, ED Nongsiang, who is the president of the Khasi Jaintia Deficit School Teachers Association and chairman of the joint meeting, said the two associations were satisfied with the process of selection of books conducted by the Board.
While welcoming the Board’s move to go for a change in the school syllabus, Nongsiang felt the review of manuscripts was quite elaborate.
“After we learnt from the teachers who are experienced in different subjects, we find that the process was done in an
elaborate manner and they have taken much time to review and recommend the first, second and third preference of books,” he said.
“It seems the Board has followed the opinion of the reviewers who are experienced teachers,” he said.
Responding to a query, he said that the two associations felt satisfied with the selection of books as it has to look at the content of the textbooks besides the existing scenario in the state.
“We also have to look at the CBSE/ICSE scenario,” Nongsiang said.
On the prices and affordable rates of the new books, he said, “We have met officials of MBOSE and have requested them to ask the publishers to bring down the prices of the books so that parents are not affected when it comes to buying the books.”
Nongsiang said the process of reviewing the textbooks started in March-April this year while two symposiums for teachers were conducted in Tura and Shillong.
The expressions of interest (EOI) for publishers were issued in July this year and the name of the reviewers were approved in September. Even publishers have submitted their books.
Later, a review meeting was held on October 17 and the review work was completed on November 3.
Later, the decoding of the books was done on November 9 as the reviewers had no idea of the publishers, and finally, the list of books was notified on November 14.
The entire process landed into a controversy after many alleged that publishing houses of national and international repute were sidelined at the expense of unknown and small-time publishing houses books that were selected as the prescribed ones.
