A massive delay in textbook printing in India’s southern state of Kerala has led to accusations of corruption in the government education ministry and violent protests. Government officials suggested schools print the books themselves, but for low-income areas this solution is impossible because of its high cost.
Millions of textbooks have yet to be printed and delivered to needy students, and while an autopsy of the current situation will be handy, it doesn’t solve the gigantic problem of the teachers and students whose exams are fast approaching. Finishing the printing can only take so long, but their window of usefulness is shrinking, and if the texts can’t be delivered in sufficient time for exams then the crisis will be compounded.