Textbook printing cost four times higher than previous years: Minister

• Even though the government has no money, it has managed to reserve money  for printing textbooks without disrupting the children’s education      

By Chaturanga Pradeep Samarawickrama

The cost of printing school textbooks in three languages has increased four times compared to last year, and the distribution will be completed by March 27, Education Minister Susil Premajayantha said. Speaking to the media yesterday after launching the distribution of school uniform fabric for provincial and zonal schools, he said that in previous years, printing textbooks cost Rs. 4.5 billion (Rs. 4,500 million), but this year the cost has spiralled to Rs. 16 billion (Rs. 16,000 million). 

Even though the government has no money, it has managed to reserve money for printing textbooks without disrupting the children’s education. However, textbook distribution has already begun, with more than half of them already printed. After completing the printing of books, they will be distributed among 4.8 million schoolchildren across the country before the start of the 2023 school year on March 27, Minister Premajayantha said.

He said the State Printing Corporation has printed 45% of the textbook requirement by procuring raw materials with Indian loan assistance, and 22 private printing partners have done the remaining 55%.