Civic chief vows to place textbooks in hands of 1.4 lakh students on first day of school

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The civic body — in a move expected to end years of delays in textbook distribution that affected the academic schedules of thousands of students each academic year — has drawn up an extensive plan to ensure that every eligible student receives free textbooks on the very first day of the new academic session.

“Under the initiative, a total of 1,40,299 students studying in Std I to VIII across government, aided and local body schools in the city will be provided free textbooks on June 15, when schools reopen,” municipal commissioner Amol Yedage said.

The textbook distribution drive has been accorded top priority by the civic chief who reviewed preparations at the central textbook storage and distribution centre set up at St Xavier's School in Cidco N-1.

During the visit, Yedage inspected the stock and distribution arrangements and directed officials to ensure that all schools receive books within the stipulated time frame. “For years, delayed supply and distribution of textbooks meant that many students began their academic year without the complete set of books, impacting classroom learning during the crucial initial weeks,” said former corporator Mohsin Ahmed, who for years has been raising the issue of delay in distribution of books to students in civic schools.

Civic officials said the administration was determined to avoid a repeat of the situation and ensure that no child is deprived of education due to the unavailability of textbooks. A civic official, while talking to TOI, said as part of state govt’s free textbook scheme under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation (CSMC) had submitted its demand as early as Feb 2026.

“We sought around 8.4 lakh textbooks for students enrolled in 513 schools across the city. Officials said around 6.6 lakh books have already been received at the distribution centre. The remaining stock is expected shortly. Distribution of books to schools will be carried out between June 8 and June 12 through a centre-wise allocation system so that institutions are fully prepared before reopening.” the official said.

Out of the 513 schools, 344 are Marathi-medium, 158 Urdu-medium, five Hindi-medium and six English-medium. “All schools would receive their allotted stock in advance to facilitate immediate distribution to students on the opening day,” the official said.

This year, textbooks for Std II, III, IV and VI have undergone revisions. Officials said the updated textbooks for these classes have already been received and stocked at the distribution centre.

The formal distribution programme on June 15 will be conducted in the presence of mayor, deputy mayor, leader of the house, leader of the opposition, public representatives and education stakeholders.

Expressing satisfaction over the preparedness, Yedage reviewed the safety, storage and logistics arrangements at the centre and instructed officials to ensure smooth execution of the exercise.