Textbook distribution to be completed before schools reopen: Minister

Bhubaneswar: Amid concerns over the shortage of textbooks in govt schools for the ongoing academic session, school and mass education minister Nityananda Gond on Wednesday assured that distribution would be completed before schools reopen following the summer vacation.The 2026-27 academic session commenced in April in the state which has been implementing the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 since last year. As part of the reform, the school and mass education department introduced a revised curriculum for Classes I to VIII this year, necessitating the printing and distribution of new textbooks.Speaking to mediapersons here, Gond said, “Nearly 90% of the required textbooks have already been printed and distribution to schools is underway. The remaining 10% will be printed and supplied before the end of the summer vacation in the third week of June.”“We will ensure that no student of any grade is affected due to the unavailability of textbooks when classes resume after the summer break,” the minister added.The shortage has affected students across several districts since the beginning of the academic session. Many students have been relying on photocopies of available textbooks and digital versions uploaded on the Odisha School Education Programme Authority website, as schools either received only a limited number of books or, in some cases, none at all.Earlier, the minister had assured that textbooks would reach students before the summer vacation began in the first week of May. However, the plan could not be implemented as schools were closed for an early summer vacation on April 25 amid rising temperatures.Acknowledging the delay, Gond attributed it to technical issues at some printing units. “There were technical problems at certain printing presses, which delayed the printing process and subsequently affected the distribution of textbooks,” he said.Odisha has around 48,514 govt schools catering to nearly 52 lakh students. Officials said the total requirement of textbooks for the current academic year is approximately 2.74 crore copies. Teachers have already undergone training for the revised syllabus introduced under the NEP framework.