Textbooks await students in Bajura schools

By Sher Bahadur Sarki,Bajura, Apr. 17: In a surprising shift from past years, students in Bajura district are now waiting for school to begin—while textbooks, usually delayed, have arrived well in advance.

In previous academic years, children often had to wait for months after enrollment to receive textbooks, hampering their ability to engage fully in classroom activities. But this year, the situation has reversed: textbooks are ready, but students are not yet in school.

For the academic session 2082 B.S. (2025) the Regional Office of Janak Education Materials Centre Limited in Dhangadhi, Kailali, distributed textbooks to local vendors in Bajura by the second week of March. As a result, textbooks reached all schools in the district before classes resumed.

However, ongoing nationwide protests by school teachers have delayed student enrollment across the region. With classes yet to start, the textbooks are now ironically waiting for students.

"In the past, we wouldn’t receive textbooks even six months after classes had begun, despite having already completed examinations," said Narendra Bahadur Dhami, Headmaster of Thumthala Basic School in Gaumul Rural Municipality–3. "This year, we received the books even before we published the final results," he said. 

He said, "With teachers protesting across the country and the government yet to fulfil their demands, running schools has become a challenge. Only after the government addresses these concerns can we begin classes and distribute textbooks."

Nripa Bahadur Khati, proprietor of Karuna General Store, said Bajura was prioritised for early distribution of textbooks this year. “We ensured all textbooks were delivered to the schools by  March 31,” he said. 

According to Ram Binaya Shrestha, chief of the Janak Education Materials Centre’s regional office in Dhangadhi, a total of 108,846 textbook sets were dispatched to Bajura. 

The district's vendors and their distributions include -- RK Books and Stationery, Khaptad Chededaha–5 Atichaur. This RK Books has received 6,631 sets of books, while Karuna General Store, Budhigunga received 22,955 sets. 

Similarly, New Rara Shopping Centre, Budhinanda got 14,728 sets, Rubiya Shopping Centre, Budhinanda 11,674 sets, Pravin and Stationery, Tribeni 26,035 sets, Srijana Stationery and General Store, Budhigunga–9 11,735 sets, and Baishnavi Enterprises, Jagannatha 9,135 sets.

Shrestha said that Bajura was the first district prioritised for textbook distribution this year, followed by Darchula, Baitadi, Bajhang, Achham, Doti, Dadeldhura, Kanchanpur, and finally Kailali. 

Across the nine districts of Sudurpashchim Province, 194 vendors have been mobilised to facilitate the distribution process.