Need of National Book Policy highly realised

Though the country has a long history about book publication, a clear policy regarding it is still missing.

This vacuum has led to the realisation among the people concerned that the nation is incurring a big economic loss in absence of the substantive polices for the book publication.

The policy is highly required to improve the quality of the education, to systematize book market and to strengthen the State’s coffers, they said.

Various nations in the country have implemented the National Book Policy being based on the UNESCO guidelines, but this has not happened yet in Nepal.

However, Nepal is not totally unaware of the urgency of introducing the National Book Policy. It is noted that in the past, the draft of the Policy was prepared, but as it is claimed the document remained unendorsed because of vested interests of the some section of the people.

Lack of identification of vivid areas of the national interests and needs, haphazard publication of the guess papers, guidebooks, solutions, and practice books of school and college syllabus against the State’s recommendation is common. The prices of such publications are generally unusual and they are capable of cheating readers, students and guardians.

Krishna Ram Karki of Nawa Prabhat Book Store said the National Book Policy was needed to contain such practices also violating the curriculum recommended by the Curriculum Development Centre

It does not require a counter argument to say that haphazard publication of books and their supplies have caused the losses of million rupees to the State, according to him.

Nepal Books Association general secretary Mahendra Prakash Siwakoti said a high-level nine-member National Book Policy Draft Formulation Taskforce had prepared the National Policy Draft in 2073 BS.

The initiation was taken during the term of the then education minister Girirajmani Pokhrel. But the document went missing from the ministry. The task force formed under the convenorship of Hari Govinda Luintel was assigned to develop the draft. He also stressed the need of enhancing the competency of the State-owned Janak Education Materials Centre (JEMC).

Moreover, the Policy is highly needed to implement the publication procedures effectively.

The Association said the attempts to abort the Policy intended to meet the vested interests of certain people, discourage the JEMC and promote the private sector unethically. It has alleged the roles of government employees and publication mafia in the delay in introducing the National Book Policy.

It has submitted an application at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers and other bodies demanding action against those involved in commission mongering in the book publications and hampering the domestic book market.

It has demanded the prompt endorsement of the draft of the National Book Policy, 2073 BS.