Textbook crunch hits students of Udayapur

GAIGHAT: Two months into the beginning of the new academic session, a large number of community school students have been facing a hard time due to textbook crunch in Udayapur.

Students from grade VIII to X have not been able to manage all their books as Janak Education Material Centre failed to dispatch the books to the district.

Chaturnath Chaudhary, Chairman at Books and Stationery Entrepreneurs’ Association Udayapur, said that JEMC had sent a few books to the district, only once after the beginning of the new academic session.

However, the students from grade one to five are devoid of the problem as the state had assigned the book publishing responsibility to a private publication.

The publication and distribution of textbooks of grade six to ten were assigned to JEMC.

Bamendra Burjamagar, Principal of Jate-based Jate Higher Secondary School, said that teaching-learning was hugely affected due to the book crunch. The students of grade eight, nine, and ten have been worst hit due to book shortage.

According to sources, the teachers have started to teach by consulting guide books and guess papers as they failed to manage books despite frequent visits to the district headquarters Gaighat for the past one month.

Sharad Dhungana, proprietor of Gaighat-based Munal Pustak Bhandar, said that they had no option but to send teachers, students, and guardians empty-handed for want of books as JEMC did not supply them adequately. “We also visited JEMC’s depot in the district, but in vain,” he said.

According to Sandesh Lamichhane, an official at the record department of District Education Office, as many as 7,341 students are currently studying in grade eight, 7,468 in grade nine and 5,109 in grade ten in the district.

JEMC has so far distributed 3,500 textbooks of grade eight, 2,000 of grade nine and 4,000 of grade ten.

Shambhu Pokhrel, depot Chief, said that lack of adequate supply of books had caused a shortage in the district. Secondary level students across the country have been facing shortage of books due to delay in the publication owing to the devastating earthquake of April 25, he said. Pokhrel added that the books will be available after a week.

District Education Officer Hari Osti said that teaching-learning had been hampered in scores of schools due to the book crunch. “I have been trying my best to dispatch adequate books as far as possible,” he said.