Kolkata, Sept. 8 -- Even as the Higher Secondary (HS) Semester III examinations began smoothly on Monday, parents complained that free government-supplied textbooks had reached students nearly three months late, forcing many to rely on photocopies and online material.

At Bhagabati Devi Balika Vidyalaya in Salt Lake, where Council president Chiranjib Bhattacharya and secretary Priyadarshini Mallick visited during the exam, guardians alleged that books were delivered only in July though classes had begun in April. Some said language textbooks, including English and Bengali, were still unavailable.

The state government supplies free textbooks in Bengali, English and other languages for Classes XI and XII, while other subject books are published privately after obtaining TB (Textbook) numbers from Council. Although dispatch of the free-of-costs textbooks began in mid-May, complaints of delayed distribution continued.

Sima Biswas, mother of a Higher Secondary examinee from Bidhannagar Municipal High School, said: "My daughter had to photocopy books from classmates. In Class XI too, the books were late."

Acknowledging the delay, Bhattacharya attributed it to syllabus revision after 12 years. "Whenever a system changes, the first run brings some difficulty. Free books were uploaded in PDF form with video tutorials and lectures so that students could continue their study. We also opened a Bookmart at our office where the required books are now available," he said, while denying a three-month delay. He added that semester IV textbooks for other subjects are already available in the market.

Mallick said the Bookmart at Vidyasagar Bhavan, Salt Lake, stocked government-provided language books, Council-published texts like Sanskrit, and Council-approved private publications for other subjects. Schools yet to receive government-provided free books could requisition them through the Bookmart, she added.

Students said the late supply did not significantly affect preparation. "We got our books late but the materials were available online," said Tanmay Das of Sukantanagar Vidyaniketan. Srishti Nag of Begum Rokeya Smriti Balika Vidyalaya added: "Teachers and tuition classes helped us cover the syllabus despite

the delay."

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.