Onlykashmir.in News Desk
Jammu and Kashmir Education Minister Adv. Shamim Firdous on Monday distributed free textbooks among students of Classes 1 to 8 in Srinagar. She reaffirmed the government’s commitment to promoting enrolment in government schools, supporting economically weaker families and ensuring access to quality education for every child.
Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said that free textbooks and uniforms would ease the financial burden on parents and encourage more families to enrol their children in government schools. She emphasised that such initiatives aim to make education more accessible and affordable, particularly for children from economically weaker sections, including BPL, EWS and low-income families, while also strengthening the public education system.
She also highlighted the importance of improving educational infrastructure, learning facilities and the overall academic environment in government schools. Sustained efforts are required, she said, to enhance public confidence in government institutions and to offer better opportunities to students.
Calling for greater coordination among all stakeholders, the Minister underscored the role of teachers, parents and educational institutions in improving learning outcomes and raising the overall standard of education. She reiterated that the government’s focus remains on ensuring that no child is deprived of education because of financial constraints and that every student receives the support needed to pursue their studies.
The distribution follows the announcement made last week that free textbooks for classes 1, 2, 4, 5, 7 and 8 would be handed out from Monday. Books for classes 3 and 6 were to follow once the pending revised titles, prepared in line with the National Education Policy 2020, reached the headquarters of the Board of School Education.
Free textbooks are a long-standing feature of government schooling in the Union Territory, and timely supply matters for families who depend on them. This year’s early start, in November rather than December, is likely to help students begin the session with proper study material. The government has also argued that visible support in the form of books and uniforms can help reverse the decline in enrolment in public schools that many states have seen as families shift towards private institutions.
Whether such measures can rebuild confidence in government schools will depend on the quality of teaching, infrastructure and results, areas that the Minister herself identified as needing attention. Parents and teachers will be watching whether the books reach every school across the Union Territory within the promised timeline, and whether the uniforms she mentioned are supplied alongside them.
