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 acad...