There appears to be no difference between the state and the central governments in their incompetency and inefficiency with regard to supply of textbooks to schoolchildren in time.

Thousands of students are still to lay hands on textbooks prescribed by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), even three months after the start of academic year.

The severe shortage of textbooks has also led to their black marketing. The local book dealers are openly selling textbooks at a premium.

A book costing Rs 50 is being sold at Rs 60. If anyone protested they would be advised to buy books elsewhere.
The shortage is not just confined to small towns like Gulbarga.

Even cities like Bangalore and Hyderabad are not able to cope with the demand and they are looking at places like Bidar and Gulbarga to avail books from.

“Recently a person from Bangalore specially came here and bought 50 books from me” said a local book dealer.
People also come from Hyderabad to nearby towns like Bidar and Raichur to buy CBSE books. This has led to deprival of books to local students.

Many students have been managing with true copies of the textbooks.

The students of CBSE schools are all set to face the first unit test next week and they are doing it without even having a glance at the textbooks!

Changed syllabus
The severe shortage of TEXTBOOKs is found in case of those classes whose syllabus has been changed from the current academic year 2007-08. The syllabus has been changed for III, VII, X and XII classes and students of all these classes are starving for books.

“The plight of students cannot be explained. Although the new academic year started from April 1, even to this day they are not getting books. This happens whenever syllabus is changed,” remarked a Kendriya Vidyalaya teacher.

Normally, the decision to change the syllabus is taken two years in advance. But, the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT), the authorised agency to publish CBSE books, invariably fails to supply books on time.

“Book shortage is a serious problem every year. The quality of printing and binding of NCERT books is also very poor. As a gesture we bought the books for our children but parents are blaming us for poor quality. From next year we will not buy them,” said Arunkumar Oza, President of the Sri Sai Central School.

A local NCERT book dealer complained that though they take money well in advance they will not supply books for months. “I had paid a draft for Rs One lakh to the NCERT book depot in Delhi in March. Till today I have only received books worth Rs 65,000. I am waiting for rest of the books’,” said a local book dealer.