Kathmandu, May 6 :

The work of printing school textbooks for grade 1 to 10 for this academic year is pending, with the bureaucracy tied up in knots following revival of the House and formation of the new government. Ten per cent of textbooks are still to be printed, for want of the government’s instruction whether or not to include photographs of royals in the textbooks.

Janak Sikshya Samagri (JSS), the only authorised government printing house has already printed 90 per cent of the text books, totting up a bill of Rs one crore. Around 50 lakh books with photos of the royal family members have already been printed. An official at

JSS, on condition of anonymity, said the JSS is awaiting the government’s instruction on whether the remaining 10 per cent textbooks should be printed with the royals’

photographs or not.

Due to the recent turn of events, it is essential to wait for the government decision. We have asked the government how to forward the process with both the printed materials and those yet to be printed,” said the official.

According to JSS, one additional page cost 22 paisa to 26 paisa in each textbook.

After November 2005, the printing of royals’ photographs in textbooks became controversial. Student bodies protested by burning such textbooks. Some student leaders too were arrested while burning royals’s photographs in such textbooks.

“The JSS is just a printing body. All rights rest with the government. Hence, we have no choice but to wait for the government’s instruction,” said the JSS official.

Portfolios of two concerned ministries namely Ministry of Education and Sports and

Ministry of Information and Communication are yet to be allocated.

Meanwhile, the management of a state-owned national daily removed a slogan “Committed to Nation, Nationality, Royal Crown and Democracy” from its masthead immediately after the House revival.