Maharashtra to remove blank pages from Balbharati textbooks

The initiative of adding blank pages to the textbooks was announced in 2023 by the previous school education minister Deepak Kesarkar. This was applicable to only those textbooks prepared for free-of-cost distribution in state government-run schools across Maharashtra.

The idea then was reducing the weight of school bags by providing blank pages in textbooks, as an alternative to notebooks so that students will not have to carry notebooks separately. The decision, however, was met with severe criticism from across various parts of the state as teachers, educationists and even parents noted that adding a few blank pages in textbooks after every chapter cannot really be an alternative for notebooks.

Noting public sentiments in this regard, the current school education minister Dada Bhuse has taken the decision to withdraw the initiative. Reasoning the decision, the GR stated that the initiative of including blank pages to textbooks was implemented last year on pilot basis with an aim to reduce weight of school bags. The idea was that students would no longer have to carry notebooks as they could take notes on the blank pages given in textbooks. “But a review of the initiative shows that the blank pages have not been used optimally, as expected. Further, as students continue to carry notebooks, it has not helped in reducing weight of schoolbags,” stated the GR.

Welcoming the new decision, Vijay Kombe, state president for Maharashtra State Primary Teachers’ Association, said, “Education experts and the Maharashtra State Primary Teachers’ Committee have consistently opposed the addition of blank pages in the integrated textbook scheme. The government’s decision to omit the pages is welcome. Along with this, the integrated textbooks should be discontinued and subject-wise separate textbooks and independent self-study books for all subjects should be provided to the students free of cost.”