Delhi Government Schools: Students will get textbooks before summer break, High Court said

NEW DELHI: The Delhi government on Thursday assured the Delhi High Court that students in all government schools will receive their textbooks for the current academic session before the beginning of the summer vacation. The statement was made before Justice Sachin Datta who was hearing a petition by NGO Social Jurist seeking initiation of contempt action against the secretary (education) for "deliberate and intentional disobedience" of a 2024 judicial order on providing educational material to students in a timely manner.

The judge issued notice to the official on the contempt petition and took on record the assurance given by a government official present for the hearing.

The NGO, represented by lawyer Ashok Agarwal, submitted that lakhs of students studying in classes 1 to 8 in Delhi government schools were suffering due to failure of authorities to provide textbooks for the current academic session that began on April 1, which affected their right to education.

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8 lakh students yet to receive books

Delhi government standing counsel said tenders were floated and consequently, 10 lakh students have received the books and another around eight lakh were remaining, who will also receive their books in the next few days.

"It is submitted (by the government counsel) that tender process for distribution of the textbooks for the current academic year has been concluded and substantial distribution has already been done. It is assured and undertaken (by the official) that distribution of textbooks in all respects to all students in classes 1 to 8 in government schools in Delhi shall be completed before the commencement of the summer vacation," noted the court in its order.

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Next hearing in September

The court sought a status report/ compliance affidavit from the authorities and listed the case for hearing in September. In the petition, the NGO said that on July 4, 2024, a division bench of the high court had taken on record the assurance of the authorities that books, notebooks as well as writing material and furniture would be provided to all the students in government schools in a time-bound manner, and noted that the authorities would be bound by it.

It said the secretary (education) also issued a formal communication in 2024, clearly directing that the entire tendering and supply process must be completed in such a manner that textbooks were made available to students by the last week of March or at the very beginning of the academic session, i.e. on or around April 1. "In spite of the aforesaid orders, assurances, affidavits and binding undertakings, the Respondent has failed to comply with the same in their true letter and spirit.

The academic session for the year 2026-27 commenced on 01.04.2026, and even after lapse of considerable time, no textbooks have been supplied to the students, resulting in severe prejudice to their education and academic progress," the plea alleged.