BENGALURU : Soon after exams and the academic year ends, most parents are worried about what to do with the old textbooks. Most of them hand it over to the raddiwala (paper collector) for a price. Some look for the needy to donate, but that is a hassle.
As many parents and resident welfare groups discuss and share textbooks, some do the same using social media. One such is an online platform which was started two years back, which had come to a halt due to the pandemic but has now been revived.
A team of people, from sumrux.com, has more than 200 members who are posting pictures of the textbooks on the website for parents and groups to connect from where used and old textbooks can be picked up. Parents can post pictures of textbooks for sale, donation and even exchange.
Krupa DS, who started the website, told The New Indian Express that people can post details of the textbooks which are needed like the publishers, the year of printing, the child’s grade and the subjects. Parents can post pictures of the book for others to chose from.
The idea is not just to get rid of old books, but also help the needy, especially those pursuing studies under RTE. “I wonder every year what to do with the textbooks. I also approached my child’s school to hand over the books, but the school refused and they asked me to search myself. So I ended up throwing them away,” said Shilpa L, parent of a Class 5 student.