Class X textbooks black-marketed in K'pada

The greedy book vendors here are selling the new course text books meant for Class X students at much higher rates than the printed costs. Reason: Inadequate availability of the books and bigger rush of buyers. Even though over two weeks passed since the beginning of the new academic session, the stock of books supplied to the market is too short.

Notably, the Board of Secondary Education (BSE) has introduced a new course with 17 books for Class X students. As a major bulk of the newly introduced text books is at the printing stage, the students have failed to get the books from the bookstores. So the limited books go for black marketing with the gullible students at the receiving end.

According to official sources, the newly introduced books are Sahitya Sindhu, Madhyamika Byakaran, Sahitya Suravi, Hindi Parag, Madhyamika Hindi Byakaran, Hindi Sourav, Gulistan-E-Urdu, Skills of Communicative English, learn and Practice Grammar, Sanskruta Sahitya Manjari, Sanskruta Byakaran Prakash, As BSE still to supply major bulk of books Madhyamika Bijaganita, Madhyamika Jyamiti, Bhoutika Bigyana, Jiba Bigyanna, Itihas o Rajaniti Bigyana and Bhugola o Arthaniti.

But only seven text books out of the 17 in limited number have been printed and sent to the market. Given the limited stock, hardly 30 per cent of Class X students in the district have managed to purchase the books and that too at exorbitant prices.

A few students alleged that though they have been moving from one bookstore to the other to collect the books, but the vendors have only one answer: No stock. But there are some who have been able to purchase the books from the black market by paying high rates.

The guardians demanded that such black marketing of the new text books should be stopped and the BSE should cancel the dealership of the book vendors who are selling it at high prices.

On the other hand, the delay of publishing sufficient numbers of books has affected the education process of the Class X students in several schools though the academic year has started from April 2 last.

"The BSE has decided to conduct the HSC examinations three months earlier. So non-supply of books will put pressure on students as well as teachers to complete the course in time. Earlier, HSC examinations were conducted in April-May when the students were getting sufficient time to complete their courses. Besides, the HSC examinees have to fully depend on newly published text books as the courses of study has been completely changed," said Janmajaya Mishra, a teacher of Kendrapada-based Saraswati Vidyamandir.

According to Dharmadarshi Kar, a guardian,  students have only six to seven months to complete the courses as HSC examination will be conducted in second week of February. So, practically there is not sufficient time to complete the syllabus with text books yet to be supplied.