Textbook revision committee report yet to be submitted, delay likely in supply of textbooks for next academic year in Karnataka

From the next academic year, steps have been taken to provide two books per year, divided into two parts — (Summative Assessment) SA-1 and SA-2. The Karnataka Text Book Society (KTBS) has to print about 12 crore textbook books. The delay in submission of the textbook revision committee report will delay the printing of textbooks.

A delay is likely in the printing and supply of textbooks to school children in Karnataka for the 2024-25 academic year as the Textbook Revision Committee, headed by Manjunath G. Hegde, is yet to submit its report to the State Government.

From the next academic year, steps have been taken to provide two books per year, divided into two parts — (Summative Assessment) SA-1 and SA-2. The Karnataka Text Book Society (KTBS) has to print about 12 crore textbooks. The delay in submission of the textbook revision committee report will delay the printing of textbooks.

In September 2023, the State Government appointed the committee to re-examine the textbooks revised by the earlier committee headed by Rohit Chakratheertha in 2022-23.

The committee said it would submit a report to the government by the end of January, 2024. However, the committee is yet to submit its report.

Sources in the Department of School Education and Literacy said that the unavailability of the Minister is the main reason for the delay in submission of the report. “The committee has decided to submit the report to the minister concerned. However, as the minister is not available in his Bengaluru office since many days, the submission of the report is getting delayed. The budget session will start on February 12, and the report may be submitted at that time,” sources said.

To reduce the burden of school bags, the State Government has decided to divide the textbooks into two parts — SA-1 and SA-2 — from the year 2024-25.

The KTBS has planned to print around 12.79 crore textbooks from classes 1 to 10 with a total of 984 titles. When the textbooks of about 120 pages are divided into SA-1 and SA-2, it is estimated that an additional 8 to 10 pages should be printed for each textbook, including the cover page. During 2023-24, around 6.39 crore text books were printed and supplied out of a total of 562 titles.