Himalayan News Service

Pokhara, April 11:

Janak Shiksha Samagri Kendra (JSSK), the government body responsible for publishing and distributing school textbooks, has not yet introduced textbooks for optional and some other subjects in the markets of Dhaulagiri and Gandaki zones. The textbooks of optional subjects from grade VIII to X along with grade VIII’s Moral Education and grade III’s English are not available in the market though the new academic session is beginning from April 15. The JSSK has not yet published these books which has created the problem. The JSSK-Pokhara chief, Ram Chandra Khatri, informed that books of optional subjects were already published and would be available in the market soon. But the books of grades VIII and III would be available only in Mid-August, he added. Sajha Prakashan is the authorised distributor of the JSSK publications. Gyan Das Dulal, the chairman of Sajha Prakashan Regional Office, Pokhara said that his office had appointed 300 agents to distribute books in all the 10 districts of the two zones. Rs 31.5 million worth of books were dispatched last month, he said.

Sajha Prakashan-Pokhara estimated that this year’s books sale would be higher than that of last year’s. It informed that the remote districts of Manang and Mustang had already got the books on time — 10 days before they were available in the market. Dulal said the ongoing bandh has also affected the dispatch of books in the districts. According to him, the government’s decision to annul coupon system has relieved it of selling books on credit. Under

the new system, the Education Department has allowed the schools to buy the books for upto primary level and distribute it among students free of cost. For this, the schools have to pay the money in a single instalment on the basis of the result sheet. Mohammad Alam Khan, the Western Regional Education director said the education office would make the money available to the schools within the third week of April. The students of grade VIII would be studying new course from the coming academic session. The JSSK claims that the books are available before the beginning of the session.