(MENAFN- Arab News) Teachers and parents are complaining about the absence of a new curriculum, which has yet to reach many schools across the Kingdom, four weeks into the academic year. Schools have recorded the absence of basic textbooks, such as those teaching the English language, a local newspaper reported. A teacher, who preferred anonymity, said that he is using old curriculum books. "This issue is confusing the educational process as a whole and delays teaching " he said. "This contradicts the values of diligence and discipline demanded by school administrations throughout the academic year," he said. Another teacher at a school east of Riyadh said that mathematics and science books for the sixth grade have yet to reach their school. "We are entering into the fourth week of study, but no textbooks are available," he added. A parent at Audi bin Hatem Elementary School north of Riyadh has said that his son, a sixth grader, has not received his text books. "The school administration told me that the Ministry of Education is behind this delay," said the parent, adding that most students have resorted to borrowing old textbooks from neighbors and friends. A source at the Ministry of Education, however, said the ministry was keen on providing the new curriculum and text books at the end of the last academic year. "Delays in delivering textbooks are the fault of the company handling the printing process," said the source.