Students in trouble over non-availability of textbooks

LALAMUSA: Schools started the new academic year in Gujrat on April 1, but many students faced a surprise - no new textbooks!

This was a problem because even though everyone says education is important, free books seem to be a forgotten promise. Many schools tried to fix this by handing out old books from last year, but there weren’t enough for everyone. This left many students without any books at all, and their families had to scramble to buy new ones. This was a big burden, especially for families who already have trouble making ends meet.

It turns out the government didn’t give the schools enough money on time to print new books. Normally, new books arrive a month before school starts, but this year the delay messed everything up. Students and teachers are stuck in an uncertain situation, and the extra cost of books is making things even tougher for some families. There was some good news though. The education minister said they’d be able to print the books in just four months instead of the usual seven on the directions of the Punjab government.