Birgunj, May 2

School students in Parsa district have yet to receive their textbooks although the new academic session started three weeks ago.

The shortage of textbooks has hit hundreds of thousands of pupils at both private and government schools of the district.

Head teacher at local Gita Gajendraraj Joshi Secondary School Dinesh Chaurasiya said textbooks of Grade V and X were in short supply in Parsa. According to him, only 25 sets of textbooks for Grade X are available in the market, while his school has a total of 96 students in the grade.

Optional Math, English, and Nepali books of Grade X and English book of Grade V are also hard to find in the district. Parsa district has a total of 352 government and 120 private schools.

Textbooks and Stationery Federation Parsa Chairman Naresh Rauniyar said textbooks were in short supply as Janak Education Centre had delayed the printing of books. He added that Janak Education Centre Regional Office, Chitwan, had assured it would provide them the books within two weeks.

Some private schools affiliated to Private and Boarding Schools’ Organisation Nepal (PABSON) are teaching from textbooks that are not registered with the Curriculum Development Centre. Gautam, Mankamana, Bidhyasadan and Sunrise, among other local private schools, have been teaching some books of Indian publications. Parents and guardians complained that Indian textbooks were expensive compared to the books published in Nepal.

Textbooks and Stationery Federation Parsa Chairman Naresh Rauniyar said the use of books from Indian publications had affected book entrepreneurs of Birgunj.

PABSON Parsa Chair Harishankar Sah, however, expressed indifference about the use of Indian books in private schools.