If a back-breaking syllabus wasn’t enough to trouble school students, they’re now being haunted by the non-availability of NCERT textbooks. With NCERT allegedly not publishing enough books to satiate the need, bookstore owners complain, and students are left with photocopies to rely on in the middle of the academic session.
“There is a serious shortage in the supply of books by the NCERT and it is almost up to 50 per cent. It’s troublesome for us as we are losing out on business. We don’t know, whom to contact in the NCERT. There’s no one to respond to our queries,” complains a bookstore owner from Dhaula Kuan.
There are some, who blame the NCERT for a “casual attitude”. Manish, a bookstore owner from Central Delhi informs, “This problem has been going on for the last two years, and some books are just not available. May be they are changing textbooks for some classes and that’s why NCERT is not issuing them anymore. Plus, they don’t keep a surplus supply.”
In fact, it’s leading to chaos as parents hop from one place to another, to look for books, which are not available anywhere even though booksellers promise them that the required textbooks will soon arrive. “My son is in Class 9 and he still doesn’t have his english workbook, Disaster Management and Economics book. When we went to ask the bookstore, a few months back they said it’s out of stock. I plan to get his book photocopied as he is missing out on his studies,” says Poonam, a harried mother of a 14-year-old.
Sonia, who has a daughter studying in Class 6 got her textbooks from some other school after realising that NCERT books are out of stock. “Most bookstores complained about short supply. After having tried everywhere we got them from another school,” she says.