Textbook Crisis in India Turns Violent

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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.

Kelly Lynn Thomas reads, writes, and sometimes sews in Pittsburgh, PA. Her creative work has appeared in Sou’wester, Thin Air Magazine, Heavy Feather Review, metazen, and others, and she received her MFA in Creative Writing from Chatham University. She is hopelessly obsessed with Star Wars and can always be found with a large mug of tea. She also runs the very small Wild Age Press. Read more at kellylynnthomas.com. More from this author →