There are 39 community schools in Soru rural municipality of Mugu. In which 5,535 students were studying last year. It is estimated that the same number of students will be enrolled in the new academic session starting from Tuesday. But since nearly 2 million rupees have not been released for textbooks for students, there is concern that they will not get textbooks during the enrollment campaign.

‘Businessmen do not give on loan,’ said Govinda Shahi, a teacher at Sorukot Basic School, ‘The municipality has not given the amount for the books, it was difficult to give books to the students during the enrollment campaign.’

Chief Administrative Officer Kushal Baral, who was transferred two weeks ago, has not appeared in the municipality. The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority filed a case and the accountant was suspended. The amount for the textbooks could not be released. ‘The schools sent the demand forms in Chaitra,’ said Birendra Malla, head of the education department of the rural municipality. ‘We don’t know when the money will be released.’

The amount for textbooks has not been released in Thantikadh rural municipality of Dailekh either. There are 40 community schools in the municipality. 1.8 million rupees are required to purchase textbooks for the nearly 5,200 students studying in those schools. But since the amount has not been released, the businessmen have not given the books to the schools.

‘The accountant was on leave, so there was a delay,’ said Netra Bahadur Thapa, senior education officer of the municipality. ‘There is talk of sending the money to the school’s account on Tuesday.’ Even though the rural municipality released the amount on Tuesday, teachers say it will take at least a week for the books to reach the students. ‘The enrollment campaign would have been over by then,’ said local teacher Vivek Budha, ‘I wish we could have given books to students during the enrollment process.’

Out of the 79 local levels in Karnali, 10 have not yet released the amount for textbooks. Due to this, not all students will receive books during the enrollment campaign, said Balbir Sunar, Senior Education Officer at the Ministry of Social Development. ‘All the money up to secondary school goes to the local level,’ he said, ‘but the local level has been delaying the release of funds every year.’

There are 3,266 community schools in Karnali. In which 595,599 students were enrolled last year. The provincial office of the Janak Education Materials Center has stated that about 120,000 sets of books are required, with an estimated enrollment of the same number of students this year. ‘Schools and stationery stores also have some books from last year,’ said Jamuna Dhakal, the regional head of the center. ‘Some class books are printed by the private sector and distributed through them.’

According to the center, 80,868 sets of books have reached various districts. Of these, the highest number of 17,984 books have reached Dailekh and the lowest number of 5,666 books have reached Jajarkot. ‘Businessmen have already delivered books to all districts in the first phase,’ said Dhakal, the regional head of the center. ‘They will then deliver the remaining books based on sales.’

She claims that the highest number of books have been delivered this year, even before the enrollment campaign began in a decade. Last year, about 40 percent of the books were delivered to the hilly and mountainous districts during the enrollment campaign, while in 2081, about 50 percent of the books had been delivered. ‘This year, the gap has also increased after the annual exams,’ she said, ‘Since the course has not changed, the books were printed on time, and we also sent them quickly.’ She informed that some books were sold on Monday as well, so almost 70 percent of the books have been sold.

Janak Shiksha Samagi Kendra has stated that it has sold books worth 76.9 million rupees till Monday. According to the center, Janak Shiksha distributes books for grades 3 and 5 to 10, while the responsibility of publishing and distributing textbooks for grades 1, 2 and 4 has been given to the private sector. The center has listed 89 bookstores to distribute textbooks across the province.

Some businessmen have complained that the local levels have not sent money to the school accounts for the textbooks, so they have to be stored in the bookstores. Chetan Kandel, proprietor of Naveen Books and Stationery in Surkhet, said that they have been buying books from Janak Shiksha after receiving funds from the local level through the school.

‘The local levels have not yet given money to the school, it will be easier to get books only if the school gives us the money along with the student data,’ he said, ‘Since the investment is sinking, we cannot invest and bring books ourselves, but we are only giving the blame for the books to the businessmen.’ He said that it is not possible to invest a large amount of money in the greed of 9 percent commission. Amar Pandey, a book businessman from Kalikot, said that it is not possible to buy books until the schools give them funds.

Kamal Nepali, a teacher at Bhairav ​​Secondary School in Sinja Rural Municipality of Jumla, said that until last year, students in rural areas of Karnali were forced to read old books for years. ‘First, the amount of textbooks is not according to the number of students, and even if it is, it comes only after 1/2 months,’ he said. ‘When books do not arrive on time, students are forced to study from old books for years.’

Surendra Bahadur Shahi, principal of Balkalyan Primary School in Tajakot Rural Municipality of Humla, said that students have been relying on old books every year because books do not arrive on time.’ According to him, out of nearly 500 students enrolled in the school last year, about 100 students used old books.