The JEMC, the sole government authority to print textbooks for public schools, is yet to supply 4.35 million books to the students of central, mid-western and far-western development regions with the new academic session already under way from mid-April.[break]
The flash report of the Ministry of Education (MoE) estimates that 24 million textbooks are to be supplied to 6.1 million students of the regions within second week of the new session. However, the JEMC has printed only 19.6 million textbooks, which has resulted the shortage of 1.8 million sets of textbooks.
The PMO Secretary Krishna Hari Banskota discussed the current status of the printing and supply of textbook with the officials of the JEMC.
Expressing concern, Banskota said that the government can not turn a blind eye to a situation that puts the future of 6.1 million students at risk.
Similarly, Banskota has also directed the Sajha Publication, the textbook distributing agency of the JEMC to make the books available in the local market. He also directed the officials of Sajha to act strictly against those agents who are delaying the supply of books. There are more than 2000 Sajha agents in various parts of the country, whom the JEMC has blamed for not transporting even the available books.
“The agents´ license should be scrapped if they cannot supply the available books,” Banskota said.
However, the Sajha agents have been arguing that it is difficult for them to transport textbooks which the JEMC has sold them in piece but not in sets.
Reporting the financial problem in printing textbooks, the JEMC chief Anil Kumar Jha mentioned that his office has taken Rs 240 million loan to print the textbooks and that it has been operating under mounting debt for the last six years.
Jha added that the JEMC had to purchase 4000 metric tons of paper to publish the books this year, but the paper shortage in the market led to the delay.
Related story
JEMC yet to print textbooks
