Sajha to print books after JEMC fails to print in time: Education Minister

Kathmandu / Feb 17: Education Minister Dhaniram Poudel has said preparations are on to entrust the responsibility of printing school textbooks that the Janak Education Materials Center Limited (JEMC) has not yet managed to print to the Sajha Prakashan.

The education minister said this while addressing the interaction program organized by Federation of Nepal Books and Stationery Business (FNBSB) here today. He said the responsibility of printing the remaining school textbooks would be given first to the Sajha Prakashan and then to the private sector publishers.

He added that policy decision would also be taken soon regarding the management of the textbooks distribution.

“The government is serious so that the textbooks reach in the hands of the students before the start of the new school session,” the Minister for Education said, adding that a master plan would be prepared and implemented regarding adjustment of textbook price and managing printing at the regional level.

JEMC which has the responsibility of printing textbooks of Grade 6 to 10 for the next school year has so far printed only 60 percent of the required textbooks. The private sector has been assigned the responsibility of printing and distributing textbooks of Grade 1 to 5. The new school year starts from April 15.

Federation chairman Hari Aryal on the occasion handed over a memorandum to the Poudel. The memo, among other things, calls for providing the cost of transporting and distributing textbooks last year which the federation was yet to receive from JEMC.

JEMC and Sajha Prakashan are both state-owned corporations. RSS