Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Government has decided that the textbooks for Classes 2, 4, and 6 under the state syllabus will have two volumes for the next academic year as well. The government has given permission to print the second volume of the textbooks in these classes by including the lessons in the 19 books, which are the third volume of textbooks.

It was in the academic year 2020–21, when schools remained closed owing to the COVID-19 crisis, that the authorities combined the third volume with the second volume in Classes 1–7. This trend continued during the following years to utilise printed textbooks.

Meanwhile, the Education Department will be introducing new textbooks in Classes 1, 3, 5, and 7 in the coming academic year under the revised curriculum. These textbooks will have three volumes, one for each term. The revised textbooks for Classes 2, 4, and 6 will be launched only during the subsequent year.

“If the textbooks for Classes 2, 4, and 6 have to be printed as three volumes, their proof has to be checked again and approved by the SCERT (State Council of Educational Research and Training). As this would cause a delay, we decided to continue printing the textbooks in two volumes for the coming academic year,” said a government official.