Hyderabad: Nearly a month after the new academic year began, Telugu medium intermediate students across the state are yet to receive their textbooks, leaving many struggling to keep pace with the syllabus. The delay has resulted in a learning backlog, students say.Arun, a first-year HEC student at a govt junior college in Khammam, said the absence of textbooks had made it difficult to keep up with classroom teaching. “Our lecturers are covering new lessons every day, but we don’t have textbooks to revise or study after class. It is becoming difficult to catch up with the syllabus,” he said.Sushanth, a first-year MPC student, said the delay was also affecting preparation for competitive examinations. “EAPCET preparation starts from the first year itself. Without textbooks, we are unable to study concepts properly on our own after classes, and it is slowing down our preparation,” he said.As the shortage persisted, Telangana Gazetted Junior Lecturers’ Association (TGJLA) has submitted a representation to the director of Intermediate Education and Telangana State Board of Intermediate Education demanding the books be distributed without further delay. The association says English medium textbooks reached govt junior colleges weeks ago, but Telugu medium books for both first and second-year students were still missing.This gap in supply has mainly hit rural students hardest.“In many govt schools, English and Telugu medium students are taught in the same classroom. While one set of students are able to catch up with the syllabus, others are not as the books are not here,” TGJLA state chief secretary Dr K Suresh said.Students and the association alike are now pressing the Director of Intermediate Education to step in and ensure colleges across the state get their textbooks soon.Telugu Akademi, which publishes and prints textbooks, said the problem would be resolved soon. Chairman Prof Kurapati Venkata Narayana told TOI the books would reach students within a week. “We have collected syllabi from different universities, colleges and centres. Only some parts have not received their textbooks in the Telugu and Urdu medium. We are working on speeding up the process,” he said.
