New Delhi: The morning bell rings across a govt school and students settle into their classrooms.
The desks are bare as there are no textbooks. The teacher, unfazed by the familiar sight, distributes a fresh set of worksheets, as she has done in the past years when books arrived late. However, this time is different as after past delays, authorities had assured that students would receive books on the first day.
The academic session began on April 1 and the delay has affected lakhs of students from Classes I -VIII. An education activist has now written to the chief minister highlighting the matter and urging her immediate intervention. While schools have managed to provide basic stationery despite the absence of budgetary support, the lack of textbooks continues to disrupt learning and requires urgent action, the letter says.
“This year, not a single book has been given to the students so far, even though a week has already passed since the new academic session began,” education activist and lawyer Ashok Agarwal wrote to the chief minister.
He urged the chief minister to intervene personally. “The future and studies of these children depend on timely access to books,” he wrote. This absence is a critical gap.
The concern is not new. Last year, two months into the academic year, many Delhi govt schools were without the free textbooks promised at the start of the session. Under the Right to Education Act, 2009, govt is required to provide free textbooks to all elementary-level students in govt schools within the first week of the academic year, according to experts.
Yet delays have persisted year after year. In some instances, textbooks have reportedly reached schools only towards the end of the term.
Educators also point to recurring quality issues. According to them, even when the textbooks are delivered, they sometimes contained printing errors and were produced using substandard paper, raising concerns about their usability and durability.
“Last year, when these irregularities were pointed out, the education secretary had promised before Delhi High Court that the books would be given to students on the first day of the school session. However, again this year, a week has gone by but there are no books. We want to make govt schools like private schools but in private schools, students get books even before the session starts,” Agarwal said.
In the absence of textbooks, teachers, already dealing with overcrowded classrooms and multiple administrative responsibilities, are often forced to prepare additional study material or rely on books from the previous academic year to keep lessons going.
Many schools are currently using books from the previous session. “The department usually supplies books in April itself, so right now old books of last session are being used. We ask students to deposit their previous year’s books,” said Sunita, principal of a govt school.
Joginder Kumar, a principal of a school in Rohini, said teachers try to manage the situation as best as they can. “Teachers are making plans and are doing their best. They are preparing lesson plans and delivering them. I think the books will only come by the summer break,” he said.
The Directorate of Education and NCERT did not respond to queries regarding the delay.
Teachers on the ground, however, say the problem continues to affect classroom learning. The absence of textbooks places an additional burden on educators, who are already under pressure to prepare students for exams and future academic requirements. “In the absence of textbooks, we rely heavily on worksheets, but they cannot match the structure and depth that textbooks offer,” said a teacher, adding that they often have to put in extra effort to ensure students have adequate study material.
