HYDERABAD, April 1: The Sindh Textbook Board has clarified that most textbooks have been made available in the market since the beginning of the academic session and remaining books will be provided soon.

About delay in providing free textbooks to city and district governments, the board said it was due to the late release of funds by the Sindh finance department.

Responding to newspaper reports on the matter in a press release issued here on Thursday, the board's secretary said arrangements had been made for supplying textbooks and printing orders had been given to publishers and printers.

He said the board would supply textbooks to city and district governments soon after it received funds from them. The official advised students not to purchase textbooks from the market as the same would be provided to them through city and district governments.

BOYCOTTED: The Government Secondary Teachers Association, Hyderabad chapter, and the Mehran Elementary and Secondary Teachers Association, Sindh, boycotted practical examinations of the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Hyderabad, for the third consecutive day here on Thursday.

In separate statements, spokesmen for the associations said practical examinations were being conducted through primary and arts teachers who had nothing to do with the science subject.