Schools will now give students old but still usable educational material for self-study at home, following a decision by the state government in the backdrop of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the Nipun Bharat Mission.
Aniruddha Kulkarni, additional chief secretary, School Education Department, announced the decision on Saturday.
Government and local self-government schools have been provided foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) kits, ‘Jadui Pitara’, workbooks and other supplementary educational material since 2015-16. The government noted that some of this material becomes torn, damaged or worn out over time.
According to a government circular, the general shelf life of educational material has been fixed at three years. After three years, its usefulness will be assessed before further action is taken.
Schools have been directed to identify language, mathematics and science supplementary educational material received before March 2023 and write off material that is no longer useful. Material that remains usable will be given to students for self-study at home.
The material handed over to students will not be taken back at the end of the academic year. Students will be encouraged to use it for regular practice at home, while teachers will guide parents on its use, the government has clarified.