Students face shortage of NCERT books in city

Rachna Khaira

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, April 27

Students in the city have been facing a severe shortage of the NCERT books for the past one month, causing them a lot of inconvenience.

The CBSE, in a circular issued recently, has made it mandatory for its affiliated bodies to prescribe only the NCERT schools in its curriculum this year and has also sought the number of books required for the coming session much in advance from them. Though many schools claimed to have sent the requirement in January itself, book dealers are yet to receive the consignment till date.

Subash Chander, an NCERT dealer at Mai Heera Gate, said that though the shortage of the NCERT books was reported every year, this year it was huge, as the CBSE had made it mandatory for its schools to prescribe only to the NCERT books.

“Also, while there are lakhs of students in the district who are in need of the NCERT books, we only get a lot of 100 to 200 sets in each lot that arrives only once in a month,” said Chander. Adding further, he said that there were eight book dealers for the NCERT books, the last lot of 200 sets came to Jalandhar in March this year and the next lot of 200 sets will come on May 15.

Confirming the shortage, KV 2 Principal JD Guru said that due to the shortage of books, the children were using old books given by senior students of the same school.

The shortage has further caused panic amongst students as the CBSE this year has changed the assessment mode from the CCE to examination system. While the first-term examinations will be held in May this year, a majority of the students have not even got the NCERT books till date.

Finding no way out, many parents have approached the NCERT office in Delhi and have brought books from the head office itself.

However, the students of class III are in a limboas the curriculumfor the class is expectedto have been changed completely from this academic session.