With the beginning of new academic session in schools from April 1, parents are struggling to get textbooks for their wards. There is a shortage of National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) textbooks across the city, mainly for Classes IX, X, XI and XII.
Unavailability of books has made students as well as parents run from pillar to post. Rajesh Kumar, book store owner of Agarwal Books-Pustak Path said that there was a shortage of textbooks of Maths for Class XI and chemistry for Class XII. The next lot has been ordered and with a few days books will be made available.
Parents are having a tough time locating NCERT books at the retail book stores in the market. Rekha Makkar whose son is studying in Class XII at DAV Hehal said, “It’s been a struggle to find the new books over the past week. The new session has commenced and we still haven’t found any of the Physics-Chemistry books.”
However the DAV Group of Schools is providing its own publication books to the students’ till class VIII. Principal of DAV Gandhinagar D.K Singh said, “All the DAV schools across the city have the same pattern books till class VIII. The books are printed in Delhi at DAV publications under DAV College Managing Committee. The cost of the books is quite reasonable so that there may be no extra monetary burden on the parents.” He further added, “Books from lKG to class VIII are available in all DAV school campuses in Rs250- Rs800.”
The bookshop owners blame the distributors for the unavailability of books and they, in turn, pass the buck on to NCERT. Parents are obviously feeling agitated since they have to check for books every day. Chhatra Pustak Bhandar owner Sanjeev Pandey said, “I feel bad turning children away every time they come looking for books. This is a scene in every session. Books of social science are not available, which mainly includes geography. Geography textbooks of Classes VI, IX, XI and XII are not available since February. Till now I have sold six lakh NCERT books.”
Hoping to put an end to crass commercialisation under way in schools, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) came up with new bye-laws, tightening its leash around schools in February 2011. The circular states that CBSE schools cannot indulge in any commercial activity or sell books, uniforms and other school-related paraphernalia.
Principals of different schools like Vivekananda Vidhya Mandir and Cambrian Public School said that they have displayed book lists on the notice boards. Parents and students are penning them down and buying from the retail book stores.
But many students are waiting for their science and mathematics textbooks. As there is no particular book being held back by the NCERT, different titles are falling short at different places. As a result, while teachers are waiting to start teaching students are arranging old books from there seniors and some are getting them Xeroxed. Surbhi Kumari student of Class X Shahidanand Gyan Bharti Model School said, “Books are very important at the start of new session as the competition starts from the very first day as there is a scarcity of books I had to get notes and books Xeroxed which costs double then the original price of the book.”