Bhubaneswar, Ap 25: Even 20 days into the new academic year, many schools in Odisha have not received their textbooks, raising concerns among teachers and parents about the effectiveness of summer education programs.

The School and Mass Education Department assured that all textbooks would reach schools before the summer vacation. However, the state government recently announced an early summer break in view of the ongoing heatwave, with schools scheduled to remain closed from June 17.

This situation has sparked worries about how students will continue learning during the break without textbooks. Teachers are struggling to manage the distribution of the limited books that have arrived. In several schools, partial supplies have been delivered, with some classes receiving only a few of the required books. For example, fifth-grade students may receive only four books, eighth graders three volumes, and some schools with 50 students have received just 30 books.

The department noted that textbook revisions for classes 1 to 8 were completed this year, and teachers have undergone a five-day training program on the new textbooks. However, the total print run of 2.74 crore books has not yet been completed, leading to distribution delays.

Parents are increasingly concerned about how students will study at home during the early summer break, as the government rules require children to use the official textbooks provided by the state. Many home-based Odia-medium schools have not yet received any books, leaving teachers and parents anxious about academic continuity.