Sep 11, Kathmandu:  Students, parents, and teachers have complained that they could not get textbooks for classes 11 and 12.

Even after the academic session has started, there is a delay in the printing of textbooks. Janak Shiksha Material Kendra which could not print the textbooks for classes 4-10 on time has also delayed the printing of books for classes 11 and 12.

The Federation of Book and Stationery Traders has said that there is a shortage of books for the compulsory subjects of classes 11 and 12 in the market. The government has given Janak Shiksha the responsibility of printing compulsory social studies, Nepali, and English textbooks. Narayan Shrestha, president of Wagmati state of the federation, said that he could not find a single book on social subjects.

About 7 lakh students are studying in classes 11-12. The books printed by Janak Shiksha are shipped and distributed all over the country through booksellers under the federation. The federation has said that there is a shortage of textbooks in big cities including Kathmandu, Pokhara, Nepalgunj, Dhangadhi, Surkhet, and Butwal.

The students of Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Bhaktapur have not been able to get their textbooks even after two months have passed. Books for compulsory subjects of classes 11-12 are provided free of charge by the government to the students.

Books on optional subjects are printed and distributed by private publishing houses. Chairman Shrestha said that the books for classes 1-10 are not yet available. According to the federation, there is a shortage of books for this class in all provinces except Bagmati province.