Now Reading: Karnataka private schools face textbook shortage after reopening
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Karnataka private schools face textbook shortage after reopening
Private schools in Karnataka are still waiting for textbooks two months after reopening, even after paying the full amount for their initial order, the Deccan Herald reports. The second round of intent,…
Private schools in Karnataka are still waiting for textbooks two months after reopening, even after paying the full amount for their initial order, the Deccan Herald reports. The second round of intent, usually invited in June to cover late admissions, has not been called this year, leaving schools with higher enrolment than anticipated short of books.
The Times of India reports that the Karnataka Textbook Society said it had completed delivery of all books from the first order. The file for a second intent is with the commissioner's office awaiting approval, said KTBS director Made Gowda. He added that the department has asked local education officers to facilitate exchanges between schools with surplus and deficit books.
School managements and activists have criticised the delay. The Organisation for Unaided Recognised Schools said thousands of students are learning without textbooks, and Niranjanaradhya VP of Coordination of People's Movements for the Right to Education said the shortage has also hit students moving from private to government schools. He demanded disciplinary action against officials. The second round of intent remains pending with the commissioner's office.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The Deccan Herald's short report frames the shortage as an unresolved failure by the government, leading with the fact that schools paid but received nothing. The Times of India gives a fuller picture: it includes the KTBS defence that first-round delivery is complete and that a circular for exchanges was sent in July. The critical framing from school associations is balanced by the official explanation that the second intent is pending at the commissioner's level. A careful reader can see a breakdown in process: the textbook society fulfilled its first-round obligation, but the commissioner's office has not approved the second round, which is needed because admissions change. The next concrete step to watch is whether the commissioner approves the file before the school year is further disrupted.
Coverage: 2 sources, 1 government-critical, 1 neutral
Sources (2): deccanherald.com (government critical), timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report)
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
