New Delhi: More than a month after the academic session began, over 90,000 students in Delhi government schools are still without notebooks and basic stationery, highlighting persistent last-mile delivery gaps despite closer monitoring by the education department.
The academic year started on April 1, but delays in supplying writing material have left many students without essential classroom tools. The problem is compounded by parallel delays in textbook distribution for the current session.
According to a status report prepared following directions from the Directorate of Education (DoE), district-wise data accessed by TOI up to April 30 shows that 90,911 students — around 12.9% of total enrolment — are yet to receive writing material, even as distribution has picked up pace in recent weeks.
The shortfall varies sharply across districts. West B has the highest number of students awaiting material at 16,571, followed by West A (12,154) and North-East I (9,709). In percentage terms, West A reports the largest gap, with over 29% of students still awaiting supplies, followed by West B at nearly 24% and North-East I at close to 20%.
Other districts such as South East (13.8%), South West-B (I) (13.8%) and North West-B (I) (12.1%) also continue to report significant delays. In contrast, some districts have achieved near-complete coverage. South West-B (II) has reported full distribution, while North West-B (II) and South West-A have negligible pending cases at 1.2% and 0.9%, respectively.
An education department official said the distribution process was fast-tracked this year with enhanced monitoring. “All deputy directors were asked to submit district-wise updates on the distribution of writing materials supplied in kind to students of Classes I to VIII. A fresh report was sought by May 6, and most districts are expected to reach near-complete coverage by then,” the official said.
Teachers, however, say the delays are affecting routine classroom work, particularly in primary grades where structured writing practice is critical.
Education experts stress that timely access to basic learning materials is essential for equitable participation in classrooms. “Such delays create an uneven learning environment where some students are able to keep pace while others struggle due to lack of resources. It is difficult to expect meaningful learning outcomes when students do not have the basic tools required to engage with lessons. Even textbooks have not reached all students so far, compounding the problem,” said education activist and lawyer Ashok Agarwal.
He further said, “We frequently benchmark government schools against private institutions in terms of outcomes and performance. But are students in private schools also waiting for basic supplies a month into the session?”
As per the department, writing material includes class-wise notebooks, basic stationery such as pencil sets, additional supplies within a prescribed limit and geometry boxes for upper classes. These are to be distributed in kind to students at the start of the academic session.
