Class 9 students of BMC schools yet to get tabs

Mumbai: Despite repeated promises, no tabs have been given yet to students of class 9 of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)-run schools. Around 18,000 tabs were supposed to be given in the month of June, which is the beginning of the academic year.

According to Central Purshase Department (CPD) of BMC’s education department, the problem began in April. “In March, we upload invitations for tenders where companies can approach us. However, till April end we did not get any companies. This delayed the process in the inital stage, so now tabs will be given by December this year,” said a CPD official.

Technically, after finalising the companies and the tendering process, the administrative work begins in May and by June, tabs would have been distributed in the schools to the students.

But adding to delay this year is the fact that Balbharti changed all the textbooks of Class 7 and 9 for the 2017-18 academic year. But this does not affect Class 7 as they are not provided tabs. Not many people in the city were aware of the Class 9 textbooks because of which at the last moment, there was a huge change in syllabus.  

“The change in the syllabus led us to change the tabs. We took back the tabs given to some students to update them, which is additional work. But soon after tendering, it will be given to them,” said BMC education committee chairperson Shubhda Gudekar.