Textbook shortage plagues students as NCERT prints only half the required books

New Delhi: Even as students are reeling under the shortage of textbooks, government sources said that only half of the requisite amount has been printed till now.

Officials of the education ministry officials said that all stock should be available by this month end after children come back from the summer holidays.

Students have been facing acute shortage of textbooks of class 9, which were revised from this academic session. 

A senior official from the education ministry said that the government is trying to offset the shortage of textbooks by increasing printing.

“The NCERT needs to print 15 crore textbooks for this academic session. Till now, 7-8 crore textbooks have been printed,” the official saidT

The current academic session started on April 1, and several students are yet to get their books. NCERT eventually posted the textbook online. 

The official said that the textbooks of class 10 and 11 are set to be revised next year. “Our endeavour is that we are prepared in time and have the books ready before the start of the next session,” the official said. 

The textbooks were also in the news after a social science textbook for class 8 had a chapter criticising the judiciary, prompting the Supreme Court to order a “blanket ban” on the textbook.

While a revised chapter has been prepared by a committee of experts, and the concerned textbook is revised for this academic year, ministry officials said that the committee, constituted after the court order, is investigating the issues. 

The NCERT, which was declared deemed to be university this year, will soon start courses. While it comes under the purview of the University Grants Commission under the ministry’s department of higher education, it will be funded by the department of secondary education.

“It will soon start MA as well as other postgraduate courses on education, it will also start doctoral courses on education later,” the official said.