The annual examination of Neha Dhungana, who is studying in class-6 in Balbhadra Janata Secondary School located in Mechinagar municipality-11, will start from next Friday. This year, more than the approaching exam, another subject has added to his concern. That is - the compulsion to write the exam without seeing the book.

The municipality has prepared and implemented the local curriculum 'Our Mechinagar'. But the students have not been able to see the textbook even until the annual exam is approaching. Not only me, but many of the class have not been able to see this book. This year, we had to take the exam without reading the book.

Mechinagar municipality had prepared a curriculum covering local topics in the year 2077 and started teaching the book 'Our Mechinagar' in the city's schools from 2079. However, since the implementation of the curriculum, books have not been sufficiently delivered to schools. This year also the same situation has been repeated . Students don't have books in their hand even till the exam .

More than 21,100 students are studying in community and institutional schools from class 1 to 8 across the city. According to the information provided by the City Education Branch, 13 thousand three hundred and eighty one students are studying from class 1 to 5 and 7 thousand seven hundred and 15 students are studying from class 6 to 8. How many students have been directly affected by not getting the book? not sure But according to the statistics branch, among them, the book has not reached even half of the students.

"Exams have come, there are no books to read, it is difficult to find answers to questions, to do homework," said Samyam Modi, who is studying in Class-6 at Dhulabari High School, Mechinagar-10. According to him, the teacher comes to the class, asks a student for a book, teaches and gives homework. However, due to the lack of books, half of the students have not been able to read. Some have submitted their homework through a friend.

Municipality has made the book 'Hamro Mechinagar' mandatory for students from class 1 to class 8. The city, which published books sequentially, initially printed books for classes 2, 3 and 6 . Then the books of 7 and 8 were printed and 4 and 5 were printed at the last time .

58 institutional and 42 public school students are facing problems due to the city not being able to print enough books. Teacher Poonam Rajvanshi teaches the book 'Hamro Mechinagar' to classes 4, 5 and 8 at Dhulabari High School. However, she is not able to teach as she thought because the book she teaches is not enough. If there are no books, it is not possible to attract the attention of the students, there is a problem because there are no books even during the practical work. For two years, I taught by searching on Google', she says, 'it would have been easier if there was a book . Even children could read well.' According to

teacher Rajwanshi, the book 'Hamro Mechinagar' is not enough, it does not come every year. Old books are found and some students are allowed to read them. Students are worried about how they can get good marks in the exam only on the basis of what the teacher has taught, since they cannot make a textbook and deliver it to the students.

Siwaniya Upreti, a class 5 student at Dhulabari High School, says, "I have a book, but my friends don't." We take turns to read.' Tkendra Khanal, assistant principal of Balabhadra Janata Mavi, said that it is difficult to teach when there is no book in hand. Teaching becomes complicated, students are not even focused on textbooks. Homework has to be given, projects are done because of the local curriculum . All these have had an impact,' he says .

``Why are there not enough books?'' Homanath Bhandari, head of education branch of Mechinagar Municipality, says, ``There are not enough books.'' However, teaching to read is not a problem . We provide e-copy, we have also supplied the book as a representation. There is also a curriculum, according to which the teachers are teaching.'

According to him, the local curriculum has not been implemented in class 1 . In other classes compulsory . Devendra Bahadur Malla, Head of Education Development and Coordination Unit, Jhapa, says that even though the students should get books anyway, that is not happening. "Students should be able to read books anyway". However, there are complaints that the book is not enough in other municipalities, the concerned municipalities should show interest in such matters, he says.