P.N. Ailapperuma, Commissioner General of the Educational Publications Department, estimates that printing school textbooks for the 2023 school year will cost roughly Rs. 16,000 million.
The entire cost for this year is Rs. 2,338 million, meaning that the cost for the following year has increased sevenfold.
The State Printing Corporation has reportedly received Cabinet approval to print 45% of the textbooks needed for the upcoming school year, and the Ministry’s Procurement Division is working to obtain the required paper through the Indian credit programme. The private sector will print the remaining 55%.
It is noteworthy that, 22 private sector companies have been chosen, according to the Commissioner General, and printing will start as soon as the order is given.(NewsNow)
