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NCERT Races to Bridge Textbook Gap: Only Half of Planned Books Printed

NCERT has printed only about half of the 15 crore textbooks planned for the 2026-27 academic session, causing delays for students. The academic session began on April 1, leaving many without revised books. Officials hope to bridge the demand-supply gap by the end of May. Meanwhile, concerns rise over private schools using costlier books, with NHRC member Priyank Kanoongo alleging an "education mafia" is undermining affordable textbook access.

Key Points: NCERT Textbook Shortage: Only Half Printed So Far

  • NCERT printed only 7-8 crore of 15 crore planned textbooks
  • Academic session began April 1, causing student delays
  • Private schools pushing costlier books, burdening parents
  • NHRC member alleges "education mafia" blocking affordable books
2 min read

NCERT races to bridge textbook gap; only half of planned books printed so far for new academic session

NCERT faces textbook shortage for 2026-27 session, with only 7-8 crore of 15 crore planned books printed. Officials assure supply gap will be met by May end.

"We hope in the month of May we will be able to print as many books. - Senior official, Ministry of Education"

By Vishu Adhana, New Delhi, May 7

Even as the academic session began over a month ago, NCERT is running against time to bridge the demand-supply gap for its textbooks, with only just over half of the planned books printed so far.

NCERT, which has rolled out revised textbooks for Classes 3 to 9 under the new curriculum framework, had planned to print nearly 15 crore books for the 2026-27 academic session. However, only around 7 to 8 crore copies have been printed till now, officials confirmed.

Responding to the query about the demand and supply gap, a senior official in the Ministry of Education said, "We hope in the month of May we will be able to print as many books. NCERT has planned to print about 15 crore books They have printed about 7-8 crore books."

The officials also confirmed that NCERT will be able to meet the supply gap by the end.

The delay has left many students without access to the new textbooks, even though the academic session commenced on April 1.

On being asked how students are coping with the absence of revised books, the officials said, "There are previous years' books and students are studying them."

Apart from delays in availability, concerns are also mounting over the increasing dependence of private schools on costlier books published by private publishers, placing an additional financial burden on parents. There are allegations that private schools are pushing for private publishers' books.

National Human Rights Commission member Priyank Kanoongo also alleged that an "education mafia" was attempting to derail a government push for affordable schoolbooks.

In a post on X, Kanoongo said he had directed state governments to ensure the use of affordable NCERT and SCERT books in place of expensive private publisher books in private schools. He said the move has been taken under the powers of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, within the framework of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009.

Responding to these complaints, the senior official said CBSE has urged the private schools to use NCERT books.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
I'm honestly not surprised by this. The government should have started printing in January, not wait until April. But the real issue is private schools refusing to use NCERT books. My neighbour's son goes to a famous school in South Delhi, and they've already "adopted" a series from a big publisher. It's a thousand rupees per subject. The "education mafia" comment makes perfect sense now.
V
Vivek B
Let's be fair here for a moment. The NCERT team has revised 7+ subjects across 7 classes under a new curriculum framework. That's nearly 50 textbooks to reprint with new content. 7-8 crore copies in two months is actually decent. But yes, the coordination with private schools needs to improve. CBSE is just "urging" them while parents pay through their nose. 😔
P
Priyanka N
The real problem is that private schools have become a business. They sign "understanding" with private publishers who give them kickbacks for every book sold. My cousin teaches in a government school in Lucknow and says NCERT books are delivered on time there because the administration is strict. Private schools are the ones creating this artificial shortage. NHRC should investigate this mafia properly.
T
Tyler Y
This is a systemic failure of planning. NCERT should have a buffer stock of at least 3 crore books before the academic session starts. Instead, they're printing in May for books needed in April! Meanwhile, students in rural areas are especially affected - they don't have "previous years' books" to fall back on because last year's books were for a different syllabus. Kids in my village school are learning from torn photocopies. 📚💔
K

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