Several II pre-university (PU) students studying in commerce stream are having a tough time keeping up with classes as they have still not got their textbooks, over two months after college started. The academic year for II PU students for the 2018-19 batch started on May 2. It was advanced this year as the examinations for the previous academic year was completed earlier owing to the Assembly elections.
Students as well as teachers pointed out that textbooks for subjects such as economics, business studies and accountancy are still not available. The shortage of textbooks is both for Kannada as well as English-medium textbooks. A II PU student said that she had visited more than half a dozen bookstores over the past two months and she still had not managed to get them.
A principal in a city-based PU college said that the delay was because this is the first year that NCERT syllabus has been introduced for II PU commerce students. He also said that although students were advised to download the textbooks from the website and take printouts of it, they complained that it was expensive.
In many colleges, teachers have allowed students to download the books on their mobile phones and are allowing phones in the classroom till the students are able to get the textbooks.
Sources in the Department of Pre-University Education said that the matter will be looked into.