Mangaluru: Only 15,000 of the 1.5 lakh textbooks required for govt pre-university (PU) colleges in Dakshina Kannada have been supplied, over a month after classes began, officials said.Private PU colleges also said that despite sending indents, they have not received any supply.Bharath S, director of the department of pre-university education, Bengaluru, said dispatches were in progress. “I have not come across a disruption in the supply. We will check with officials and take necessary action,” he said.However, students and lecturers said many are still waiting, and the shortage is affecting teaching, particularly in language subjects where prescribed texts are essential. While some science and commerce topics can be covered through notes, teachers said sustained instruction without textbooks is difficult.College heads have warned that prolonged non-availability could hamper academic progress and syllabus completion timelines.A principal of a govt PU college with more than 900 students said the institution has received only 700 textbooks against a requirement of nearly 5,500. “There is a constant query from the students for the textbooks, which we are unable to answer. Meanwhile, the lecturers are unable to conduct classes in the absence of textbooks, especially language subjects, where it is a must. Rest of the subjects can be managed through notes,” the principal said.Another principal said the college did not ask students to source used textbooks from seniors, as it expected quick distribution. “So far we have received less than 10% of the total textbooks,” the principal said. While Kannada-medium textbooks have been supplied, demand is limited as most students opt for English-medium instruction. Kannada books, he said, are lying unused in storerooms.
