Grade 7 Geography textbook is safe for use- MoE
View(s):The Ministry of Education (MoE) claims, the newly introduced Grade 7 Geography textbook has no impact on the students, and has been proven safe for use.
The MoE’s response came after the Govt Medical Officer’s Association (GMOA) raised concerns that the book causes health issues as the paper used was harmful.
However, the MoE, in a press release said that, as per the SGS certificate issued for the imported paper used in printing and the lab tests recommended by the Deputy Director General of Health, which were done by the Sri Lanka Industrial Technology Institute, the textbook did not contain any hazardous chemicals or heavy metals.
They said, around 150,000 textbooks had been distributed among students in January this year, and they had not received any complaints from teachers or students regarding the book. The MoE said, Geography textbooks printed earlier print on offset, had many shortcomings in the quality and colours of maps, while they soiled easily.
The MoE also added that, as a large number of school textbooks were destroyed in the recent disasters, the Govt decided to print durable textbooks that could resist such situations. Accordingly, the pilot project to print textbooks that can be used for 5 years, was approved by the Cabinet Technical Evaluation Committee and the Tender Board.
About 500,000 copies of such Geography textbooks were printed for Grade 7 in Sinhala, Tamil and English this year, and distributed among schools in January. Meanwhile, Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam said this pilot project will be extended to other subjects as well in the future, and its progress examined in 5 years.
He said the the cost of printing textbooks would be reduced by this project, adding that, the textbook had many new facilities, where even short notes can be made on the book, and easily erased later.
He also noted that, legal action would be taken in future against those making baseless allegations regarding the safety and suitability of the textbook for students. - DW&AW