KSOU Students Turn to E-Books Amid Textbook Shortage

KSOU students use e-books from the app due to textbook delays, facing challenges ahead of exams starting on October 14.

on Oct 14, 2024

Many students registered in undergraduate and postgraduate courses at Karnataka State Open University (KSOU) for the July 2023 session will start their exams on October 14. However, as they have not received physical textbooks, they will have to use PDFs and e-textbooks from the university's app for their studies.

Several KSOU students enrolled in open and distance learning courses are encountering challenges due to the absence of physical textbooks.

Students are worried about the additional cost of printing these materials.

One student pursuing a master's in history stated, "We have been waiting for books since last year. Although we received textbooks for the first semester, there is no sign of second-semester books, and the exams start on Monday."

According to a senior KSOU official, the delay in providing textbooks began during the pandemic when the university transitioned to digital copies. While undergraduate students received their books, postgraduate students in their second semester are still waiting due to technical issues. The official reassured that KSOU is working on resolving the issue and will provide the books as soon as possible. As a temporary solution, affected students may receive a discount on their next course. Sharanappa V Halse, vice-chancellor of Karnataka State Open University, was not available to comment.