NEW DELHI: The Delhi Education Department has issued a directive to all recognised private schools, prohibiting textbooks for elementary classes that are not prescribed by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) or the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT).
The mandate ensures compliance with the Right to Education (RTE) Act 2009.
As per the directives, schools mandating students to study textbooks not included in the prescribed list of NCERT or SCERT will be in violation of the RTE Act.
In April this year, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights had written to states asking them to issue directions making it clear that if any school forces the children to study textbooks for elementary classes other than those prescribed by NCERT or respective the SCERTs, it will be construed as a violation of Right to Education Act 2009.
The directions issued by the Education department underscores that no child should face discrimination, harassment, or neglect for using books approved by the academic authorities. Violating these guidelines, which causes ‘mental or physical suffering’ to students, could invoke the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act 2015.
Calling the directions “unworkable”, Ashok Agarwal, president of All India Parents’ Association, said, “In such matters, authorities cannot control private schools as the schools can easily convince parents to have private publications books in addition to NCERT books.”