The MoE´s decision, which will come into effect from the upcoming academic year, is expected to minimize the risk that private publishers pose to JEML and Sajha Prakashan.[break]
“We are hopeful that our text books will not gather dust in Sajha Prakashan´s go-downs from next year,” Ram Chandra Silwal, acting chief of the JEML, told Republica.
According to Silwal, while the JEML uses papers with not less than grammage of 70, most of private traders use less weighty papers to make more profits. They use papers with less than grammage of 58 kg, thereby making more profits than the JEML and Sajha Prakashan do.
“Private traders can offer up to 30 per cent commission to distributors because they make more profits by using less weighty papers,” Silwal said, adding. “The amount of commission that we offer to distributors is around 18 percent because we do not compromise on the quality of text books. The government´s decision to compel private traders into using papers with grammage of 70 kg is, therefore, a welcome move.”
Rudra Prasad Neupane, marketing chief of Sajha Prakashan, accuses private traders of bribing some public schools´ headmasters to purchase their books. “I know some head masters receive commissions for buying books printed by private traders,” Neupane said.
The MoE had decided to involve private sector in printing and distributing text books four years back, in a bid to end the recurring crisis of books, especially in the far-flung districts. But this has not helped improve things.
According to Dhirendra Khanal, Manager of Sajha Prakashan, the government´s decision to involve private sector has adversely affected the supply of text books in remote districts. “Earlier, we used the profit of selling text books in cities to deliver them to remote districts,” he said.
“Today, we have been sidelined in cities and are incurring huge losses. We may no longer be able to supply books in remote districts if the problem persists.”
Although the government has allowed private sector to publish and distribute books only in 25 districts of eastern and western development regions, they are supplying books elsewhere also.
Related story
Worth of words
