Bengaluru: Schools have reopened, but several CBSE schools in the city are grappling with a shortage of NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) textbooks, disrupting academic schedules. While schools report a lack of books for classes 6 to 9, the most severe impact is on class 9, where an entirely new syllabus has been introduced. Although online PDFs are available on the NCERT website, schools assert that these are insufficient.
Impact on Teaching and Learning
“Teachers find it challenging in language classes when students do not have textbooks. Group work and homework assignments become chaotic. Educators spend excessive time dictating content, scanning pages, and arranging PDFs, resulting in many lost teaching hours. Subjects like Science and Social Science suffer because activities rely on in-text diagrams and maps,” said Veda Prashanth, principal of Hill Rock National Public School.
Dependence on Digital Resources
Schools are relying on NCERT e-books available on ncert.nic.in and the DIKSHA app. A temporary solution involves keeping one set of textbooks in libraries for every 15 students as reference copies. While most schools use NCERT-based books up to class 6, they resort to NCERT for higher grades. “Distributors inform us that they do not have the required copies, and they send them in batches as they receive them. They have no idea when textbooks for Social Science for grade 9 will be available,” said the principal of a leading school chain.
Another principal added, “It is a huge issue. We cannot make bulk orders. We have uploaded soft copies on our internal platform and instructed students to use them.”
Parental Frustration
Parents are equally upset. “We are taking printouts every day. What a waste of resources! Shouldn’t NCERT ensure books are available by the time schools reopen? And grade 9 is not a minor grade where we can rely on private publishers’ books,” said Nirmal R, a parent. Veda Prashanth noted, “Since NCERT is the foundation for board exams and competitive exams, the worry is even greater.”
Bookshop Woes
P D Anjanappa of Sree Dhanalakshmi Book Centre on Avenue Road said he gets panicked customers daily inquiring about NCERT books. “We have no stock. This year, no books have arrived. All old ones are sold out. We see parents and students panicking as they hop from one shop to another,” he said.
Academic Calendar Discrepancy
Sandeep Pai S, chairman of Bangalore Sahodaya, stated that the shortage has disrupted the learning process. “There is a fundamental difference in academic calendars between schools in North and South India. North Indian schools need textbooks only by July, but that is not the case here. We must finish our class 9 exams soon to prepare students for class 10. Class 10 is a continuation of class 9. How can we prepare students for the next class and launch programs for toppers?” he questioned. “There was a similar issue in previous years when textbooks for other grades were changed. NCERT should have anticipated this,” he added.
