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Confusion in bookstores as Balbharati switches to new textbook format
Parents confused over Balbharati’s decision to discontinue integrated textbooks and replace them with subject-wise individual books
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PUNE: With the new academic year just days away, a heavy rush has been seen at the Appa Balwant Chowk and other major book markets in Pune. However, many parents have returned home empty-handed due to confusion over the textbooks listed by schools and those available in stores.
The primary reason for the chaos is Balbharati’s decision to discontinue integrated textbooks and replace them with subject-wise individual books. While the updates were published on Balbharati’s website earlier this year, many parents remained unaware and continued to search for outdated formats.
Krishnakumar Patil, director of Balbharati, said, “This year, Balbharati has not printed integrated textbooks. Parents must now purchase separate books for each subject. The content remains the same — only the format has changed — so there is no reason to worry.”
He explained that the Education Department had approved this change in January. “We did not want to waste an old stock of integrated books. These were cleared before distributing the new subject-wise books. Discarding them would have caused national wastage,” he said.
The simultaneous presence of leftover integrated books and newly printed subject-wise books in the market has only deepened the confusion. Adding to the transition, all textbooks have also been redesigned without blank pages, as per a new directive from the state government.
Bookstore owners reported that many parents were uncertain about which version to buy, with some schools yet to update their booklists, further complicating matters.
