Over 15m students impacted by delayed book printing

The members of the Urdu Bazar Traders Association on Monday expressed their growing concerns over the persistent shortage of textbooks in the market, during a press conference.

Despite the academic session starting 2.5 months later than usual, 30 to 40 per cent of the necessary textbooks remain unavailable. Notably, there are shortages in textbooks for 10th-grade mathematics, 5th-grade Urdu, 9th to 12th-grade chemistry, 9th to 12th-grade physics, and 10th-grade English. Furthermore, computer books for 9th and 10th grades have been out of stock for the past six months, and biology books for 11th and 12th grades are also missing.

Speaking at the press conference, Urdu Bazar Traders Association General Secretary, Hussain Abbas, highlighted the added financial strain on parents due to an 18 to 20 per cent tax on stationery items imposed following the recent budget. He called for the formation of a committee to address these issues, particularly the taxation of essential items such as pencils, watercolors, rubber, and glue.

Association's Chairman Sajid Yousuf, noted that over 15 million students in both private and government educational institutions are impacted by the delays in book printing.

The academic year, which usually begins in April, has been postponed to August due to these delays. Yousuf criticised the Sindh Textbook Board officials and publishers for their incompetence and greed, which led to last year's delays and subsequent student failures in Intermediate exams.

This year, the situation has been exacerbated by one publisher's legal issues, further delaying the release of books. While 60 per cent of the free books have reached government schools, many books remain unavailable in the market.

Yousuf also reported that publishers were expected to offer a 17.5 per cent discount to wholesalers but are currently providing only 15 per cent.

Farhan Kagzi highlighted the difficulties parents face in finding complete course materials in Urdu Bazar.

He proposed that the academic year should start on April 1 instead of August and urged that the printing process for the next year's books should begin immediately to ensure timely availability.

Kagzi also recommended limiting the printing contract to 20,000 books per publisher to avoid monopolies and ensure a fair distribution.