BAJURA: Bachdhan Thapa, a 10th grader at the Bichhanya Secondary School in Bichhanya village of Bajura district, is preparing for the annual School Leaving Certificate examinations (SLC exams) to be held next month. But, he has not got textbooks yet.

Among eight subjects, he has not received books for four subjects including those considered more difficult like mathematics and science.

Around 40 students are taking the tests considered the Iron Gate in Nepali education system from his school next month. But, most of them do not have books for many subjects.

This, however, is not only the problem of 10th graders. A teacher at the school, Dhanraj Thapa, said only around half of total 250 students had got textbooks this year.

Students of other classes are taking the final annual examinations from coming March 20.

A ninth grader at the school, Aakash Thapa, said the students were compelled to continue classes with secondhand books.

Meanwhile, the boy lamented that authorities also failed to rightly monitor the situation as their village was one of the remotest parts of this far-western mountainous district.

Other schools around the area including Sunanda Lower Secondary School, Thulakot Lower Secondary School, Shaileshwor Secondary School and Bageshwori Secondary School are also reeling under the same problem, according to a Shankar Malla, a local from neighbouring Rugin village.

Meanwhile, an employee at the District Education Office also admitted that the students were at the receiving end due to insufficient course books.

He blamed schools, suppliers and the book printer Janak Education Material Centre for the continuation of the shortage over years.

The Centre had established depots in headquarters of various districts in the region in a bid to solve the perennial problem of book shortage. This, however, did not work in some parts of Bajura.