Udaipur Government schools across the region reopened on July 1, 2024 yet students are currently attending classes without essential textbooks. The distribution of free textbooks for the academic session 2024-25 was planned in two phases. While the first phase has been completed, the second phase is nearing completion, with textbooks still awaited by students. Despite the Education Department scheduling a ceremony for free textbook distribution in each school on July 5, only 70% of the books have been delivered thus far.

The distribution process began with the first phase on January 25, followed by the second phase starting on June 24 and continuing until July 10. Udaipur district was allocated 2,168,000 textbooks, out of which 1,774,000 have been distributed. However, 393,000 books are yet to reach students. Distribution for classes 11 and 12 in Hindi medium, and classes 9, 10, 11, and 12 in English medium schools, remains pending for the second phase, with only 70% of the books delivered so far.

The delay has sparked concerns about the effectiveness of the distribution system, especially considering the substantial financial investments involved. Printers failing to adhere to tender timelines for printing and delivering textbooks to depots are cited as the primary reason for the delay. Calls have been made to penalize such printers and blacklist them from future tender opportunities to prevent similar issues in the future. 

Source: Rajasthan Patrika