Colombo, Mar 24 (IANS): Printing school textbooks will be delayed in Sri Lanka as the foreign reserve shortage has led to a scarcity of paper and other necessary materials, an official said on Thursday.

Speaking to journalists in Colombo, Commissioner General of the Educational Publications Department P.N. Ilaperuma said adequate amounts of paper, ink and other materials have not been imported due to the dollar shortages, reports Xinhua news agency.

He said there will also be delays in distribution of textbooks to schools due to the fuel shortages in the country.

Ilaperuma added that the Covid-19 pandemic also had an impact on the printing of books as a large backlog was created during the lockdowns, and these are still being cleared.

Around 32.5 million textbooks must be printed this year, at the cost of 2.3 billion LKR ($7.7 million), according to the Commissioner General.

The Educational Publications Department said it is trying to print all books before the new school term begins.