Halfway through session, Gurugram govt schools face shortage of textbooks

Nearly halfway through the academic session, government primary schools in Gurugram are still grappling with a shortage of textbooks. This has impacted the studies of almost 1,200 students across the city, according to teachers union in Gurugram.

The Haryana Education department has issued directives to all districts on Thursday to ensure that NCERT textbooks for the current academic session are distributed to students without any delay. However, education department officials in Gurugram have raised concerns, stating that there are no surplus textbooks available at the block level to address the ongoing shortages of textbooks in schools across the city.

The teachers union flagged the issue in the beginning of the academic session.

Nearly halfway through the academic session, government primary schools in Gurugram are still grappling with a shortage of textbooks. This has impacted the studies of almost 1,200 students across the city, according to teachers union in Gurugram.

The Haryana Education department has directed elementary education officers and district project coordinators to compile a list of surplus textbooks. These books will then be redistributed to schools facing shortages, ensuring that all students receive the necessary learning materials.

To be sure, government schools receive NCERT textbooks from the block level officials of the education department.

The teachers union flagged the issue in the beginning of the academic session saying that some textbooks were distributed, however, teachers from government primary schools noted that several sets of books were either incomplete or missing.

“Students who did not receive textbooks have been significantly impacted. They were forced to either share books or rely on outdated academic resources. This has affected their performance in recent exams and hindered their overall learning progress,” said Dushyant Thakran, a teacher at the Government Primary School in Sushant Lok B-1.

“This year, there was a slight increase in student admissions, which led to a shortage of textbooks. I hope the authorities address the textbook shortage this time, as it directly affects the education of our children,” Thakran said.

Ashok Prajapati, district president of the Rajkiya Prathmik Shikshak Sangh and a teacher at Government Primary school in Farrukhnagar, said, “For many students, writing in workbooks is crucial to understanding and learning new concepts. How can we expect a Class 1 student to learn to write or solve math problems effectively while sharing books with students?”

Prajapati further emphasised that this has become a recurring issue every year. He added that it also poses a significant challenge for teachers in ensuring effective learning.

A senior official in the education department, requesting anonymity, shared that there are no surplus books at the block level. “We have already submitted a list of schools who need textbooks. The solution now needs to come from the district level,” said the official, adding, this situation has arisen due to a rise in student admissions in government schools this year,” he added.

According to officials, the education department has no forecast on how many students will take admission every year. They send in textbooks based on the previous year’s admission data.

Despite HT’s multiple calls and messages to Captain Indu Boken, district education officer, for a comment on the issue, she did not respond for comments.

As the academic session continues, the textbook shortage remains a pressing concern for both students and teachers in Gurugram’s government primary schools.