Local News Agency (Hyderabad, PK ): Education is essential in a good society, and textbooks are its basic building block. Several thousand students in Hyderabad face a textbook disaster that jeopardizes their education due to an acute shortage of textbooks for the academic year 2024 -25. The Hyderabad additional deputy commissioner II pointed out this issue, highlighting the need for a systemic intervention in education resource allocation. Only around 50% of needed textbooks are being delivered, and this needs to be urgently rectified before student learning suffers in the long term.
Textbook Shortages for the 2024-25 Academic Year: The Facts and Figures
In 2024-25, the Hyderabad district demanded 230,094 textbooks for its educational needs. But the truth is that 123360 sets have been provided, leaving an outstanding shortfall of 106734 sets. That shortage is more than just a number but an expansive roadblock for many district students. The shortfall is particularly acute in some talukas, which have a fraction of the number of textbooks that would be required, raising questions on availability and standard.
Taluka City has the highest requirement, 65,624 sets of textbooks. Therefore, only 32,814 sets have been issued due to a shortfall of 32810 sets. This deficit figure has sent alarming signals in a city that is an educational hub for many students. The scarcity might cause overcrowded classrooms, where several students must share a textbook, which severely impedes learning.
Latifabad Taluka, another key area within the Hyderabad district, is also grappling with a severe textbook shortage. Of the 77,994 sets required, only 39,557 sets have been delivered, leaving a shortfall of 38,437 sets.
Hyderabad Rural Tehsil faces its own set of challenges. It requires 65,248 sets of textbooks, but only 40,330 sets are provided. This results in a shortage of 24,918 sets, highlighting the disparities in educational resource distribution between urban and rural areas.
The situation in Qasimabad Taluka is equally concerning. 21,228 sets of textbooks are required, but only 10,659 sets are provided. The resulting shortage of 10,569 sets highlights the ongoing struggle to meet the educational needs of students in this taluka.
The District Oversight Committee Meeting
Responding to the textbook crisis, the Hyderabad Deputy Commissioner also called an emergency meeting of the District Oversight Committee in attendance with DG School Education Department Zainul Aabdin Ansari. The meeting that was presided over and held at the Camp Office is part of an effort to tackle the crisis head-on with potential solutions on how textbooks reach the hands of students. While the Director General was sharing notes of a surprise visit to local schools during this meeting, she underlined some issues that are responsible for low efforts and results (either teachers do not come or resources in school need to be managed).
Quality Education for All: The Road Ahead
The substantial book shortage in Hyderabad is undoubtedly a problem. Still, it also provides an opportunity to help rebuild our education system from the ground up and guarantee that any student who enters through those gates has everything they need. Working on the root causes of the current crisis and adopting better strategies for textbook distribution, monitoring, and resource allocation will strengthen the education system in the short and long run.
Therefore, government authorities and education stakeholders must mobilize all resources to address the current situation so Hyderabad can claim its mantle of creating centres for excellence in schools.
