Muhammad Saeed Al-Zahrani Okaz /Saudi Gazette TAIF — Textbooks will not be reaching all schools in the Kingdom before Sept. 15, according to informed sources at the Ministry of Education. The sources, wishing to remain anonymous, said printing of textbooks has completed and they have started reaching the ministry's warehouses on Saturday. They said the ministry would need at least two weeks to distribute the books among the 45 departments of education, who will in turn deliver them to schools. But the sources said distribution of textbooks is expected to take longer than usual because there are not enough delivery contractors. Delivery of books has already started in Riyadh, Jeddah, Makkah, Madinah and Dammam, they said. It will soon begin in other cities and towns. In the absence of printed textbooks, some schools have resorted to photocopying books, while some students have turned to the black market, buying photocopies from private bookstores. Photocopies currently sell at bookstores for between SR50 to SR80 per book. Printers confirmed that they have printed all of the 10 million textbooks required. A number of parents decried the slow start of the academic year, criticizing the absence of textbooks, poor air-conditioning especially on hotter days, and the general condition of school buildings themselves, many of which have not been properly maintained or repaired. According to the sources, the ministry failed to place an order for the books with printers in time, which caused the delay in printing and distribution of textbooks. They said the ministry only placed the order in late July, when it should have been placed as early as March or April. They said printing presses need around four months to print 10 million textbooks, and two other months to deliver them to the ministry.
