Textbook Troubles | BOSE books vanish from market, parents panic

Srinagar, Mar 30: As the class work for the new academic session 2024-25 is scheduled to commence on April 1, the J&K Board of School Education (BOSE) textbooks have disappeared from the market, leaving the parents and school management high and dry.

Parents from various districts across Kashmir complained to Greater Kashmir about the non-availability of the textbooks prescribed by the J&K Board.

The issue has surfaced at a time when the BOSE has pressed for the adoption of a common curriculum in both government and private schools, emphasising the use of BOSE-prescribed books by students in all the classes.

The scarcity of textbooks has not only perplexed parents but also raised significant questions regarding the preparedness of BOSE for the upcoming academic session.

“The session is scheduled to start from Monday but the books are not available in the market yet. Why has BOSE failed to make textbooks available in the market on time,” asked Muhammad Arif, a parent from Srinagar.

Besides parents, scores of booksellers also said that the BOSE-published and prescribed textbooks were not available in the market.

The booksellers attributed the shortage of textbooks to the lack of supply from the J&K Board. “We have placed orders but we have not received our textbooks yet,” the booksellers said. The BOSE has issued strict instructions for the implementation of a common curriculum in both government and private schools.

Recently, Deputy Secretary BOSE issued instructions to all tehsil-level J&K Board officials to conduct inspections of private schools and ascertain the reports about the implementation status of BOSE-prescribed textbooks by private schools for the academic session 2024-25. However, according to parents, on the ground, BOSE has failed to keep an adequate stock of textbooks available in the market.

Talking to Greater Kashmir, Academic Officer BOSE Sudhir Singh said that the booksellers need to approach the BOSE office and place their orders properly. “They need to come to us as the sale of textbooks is already going on,” Singh said.

However, he acknowledged that some books out of the entire book sets may be not available citing changes in the textbooks following the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

“The content of some textbooks was updated, reviewed, and later sent for publication. That is why some books were delivered late,” Singh said.

However, he said that the BOSE started the exercise of printing textbooks well in advance. “The exercise was started before October,” he said.