I am from Tanahun and completed my education from one of the government schools in the district. During every new school session, my friends, our parents and I would visit the homes of our seniors to purchase used books because new books would never arrive at the bookstore on time. However, when I was in grade ten, I did not manage to get any used books in time. So I had to wait six months into the school session to buy the books. Consequently, I missed several chapters but I was ecstatic to get my hands on the books because I had been waiting so long. 

Many people can probably relate to this story because this situation has been continuing for years and seem to have no end. Theoretically speaking, in a society that values education, textbooks must be available in the market well ahead of the new academic session. Any interested student must be able to go to the store and purchase the textbooks to prepare beforehand for the new session. But in Nepal, textbooks often do not reach students for months after the session begins. This situation is especially bad in the Far West.

However, this problem seems linked to corruption more than the geographical difficulties and lack of transportation to deliver books on time. It seems that there exists a perpetual debate between Janak Sikhsa and Sajha Prakshan, the official publisher and distributor respectively of textbooks to public schools across the country. Reportedly, the row is over which company gets more commission. Both of these bodies seem to have neglected the six million students preparing to go to school across the country. Will these bodies be responsible for the missed opportunities of all these students? 

If the problem persists, as it has done for more than 15-20 years now, it is likely to create more social problems. The chasms between the haves and have-nots will get bigger because those studying in private schools learn from books published by international publishers, which are always available in market, albeit at higher cost. The government has spent millions of rupees in its mission to make education accessible to all. But how can we have an educated society when students are left in limbo for months because of a lack of books? Furthermore, the lack of interest on the part of the government to address this problem suggests that perhaps the state wants its students to depend on books published by private publishing houses in different countries. The concerned authorities must immediately find a solution to this problem so that students can have books while going to school. This is their constitutional right.