Gangtok, April 16 : Sikkim’s Education Department has raised an urgent alarm regarding a severe shortage of newly prescribed NCERT textbooks, leaving students in Classes IX and XI to begin their academic year empty-handed. With winter-bound schools already a month into their academic session, educators and government officials are pleading with central education boards for immediate intervention.
A Calendar Mismatch Causes Chaos
Unlike most schools across India, winter-bound institutions in Sikkim operate on a unique academic calendar that commences in the first week of February and concludes by December. This early start has collided directly with recent directives mandating the use of new NCERT textbook editions for the upcoming academic year. Because the updated editions have not yet been made available to these early-starting schools, the foundational teaching-learning process is being seriously hampered right at the crucial start of the session.
Urgent Pleas to New Delhi
In a formal letter dated March 7, 2026, the Director of the Textbook/Language Section of Sikkim’s Education Department urgently petitioned the Joint Secretary (Academics) of the CBSE. The state has requested two immediate points of clarification:
– A definitive timeline for the availability and supply of the prescribed Class IX and XI NCERT textbooks to Sikkim’s winter-bound schools.
– Alternative arrangements or guidance to bridge the gap until the physical books arrive.
To ensure the message reached the highest levels of educational administration, the Sikkim government swiftly forwarded the urgent plea via email to the Director of the NCERT on the same day, underscoring the necessity of immediate action.
Students Left in Limbo
As the weeks progress, the lack of primary study material threatens to derail the curriculum. Sikkim’s education officials are currently awaiting necessary directions from the esteemed central offices to ensure the uninterrupted academic progress of their students. Until those directives or shipments arrive, thousands of students remain stranded in a bureaucratic bottleneck, attending classes without the very books they are required to study.
