KARACHI, April 1: Almost half of the textbooks of classes I to X, meant for students of government schools, would remain unchanged for the 2004-2005 session, it is officially learnt.

A source in the Sindh Textbook Board (STB) said on Thursday that due to certain reasons, the Board had not been able to prepare and market a complete range of revised textbooks this year. The introduction of revised textbooks for schoolchildren was due in two phases, but not later than 2002 session.

The STB had planned marketing of more than 70 modified titles or editions in different versions for the new academic session which has commenced today (April 1), according to the source, who indicated that the Board had excluded the entire range of new textbooks for class IX and X from the plan.

Giving reason for the exclusion, the source said that manuscript of some of the subjects either could not be developed by the STB or some of those could not be reviewed and cleared by the curriculum wing of the federal government.

It is learnt that the Board could expedite the book development process only in 2003 by involving subject and review experts, but about 30 books in different languages were still there supposed to be developed and examined by the federal government.

The manuscripts of Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics and Biology, all for class IX or X, had almost been finalized, but due to the federal government's decision to split the courses to make them for two years, the things were delayed once again.

A few of the manuscripts of SSC courses are yet to be received from the federal ministry of education which is supposed to segregate the course for the two classes, claimed an STB official.

He said that arrangements for the release of another 33 titles in different versions were finalized on April 1 and, as such, the books would be available at Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur and Larkana, within a couple of days to meet the requirement of private sector schools, which utilized about 25 per cent of the STB books. Only four of these books appeared revised editions.

In the meantime, the STB has notified the list of revised and old editions of books that would be used during the academic session-2004. Following is the list of revised editions, prepared, developed in sequence with the curriculum prescribed by the federal government:

Sindhi Primer for class I, English for classes I to VIII, Urdu for classes I to VIII, Social Studies for Class III (Karachi district only), Social Studies for classes IV to VIII, Mathematics for classes I to VIII, Science for classes III to VI, Islamiat for classes IV to VI, and Skill Orientation (Home Economics and Agro Technical) for classes VI to VIII.

The books which are not changed for the new session are: Urdu Qaida for class I, Asaan Urdu for classes III to VIII, Asaan Sindhi for classes III to VIII, Sindhi Lazmi for classes I to VIII, Lughatul Quran for classes VI to VIII, Islamiat for classes III, VII and VIII, Science for classes VII and VIII, Social Studies (All districts except Karachi) for class III, Biology for class IX and X, English for classes IX and X, Chemistry for classes IX and X, Mathematics for classes IX and X and Physics for classes IX and X.