A month after the commencement of classes for the current academic year, the students studying at state board schools are still waiting to get their textbooks.
According to the Karnataka Textbook Society officials, only 30% of the books has reached these schools and it will take till September for textbooks to reach 100%.
“The lockdown has impacted the textbook printing process. We were planning to provide textbooks on day one of the commencement of the academic year and we could not do it due to the Covid-19 pandemic situation,” said an official said.
Even the private unaided and aided schools affiliated to the state board are waiting for the textbooks and also the Kannada textbook for schools affiliated to other boards to teach compulsory Kannada as first or the second language has to be provided by the Textbook Society.
“Currently in the absence of textbooks, we are sending to children the scanned copies of each lesson while teaching,” said a teacher with a private unaided school in Bengaluru.
“We have paid 10% advance along with the indent for textbooks. Despite the financial crisis, the schools are undergoing, the department did not spare us from paying the advance. Now, even after a month, there is no clue of textbooks arriving,” a management representative of a private school said.
“When they are saying books will reach by September-end, that means the books will be available only after Dasara vacation,” said a teacher.
The state government has set aside Rs 153 crore for supplying textbooks in the state budget.