NEW DELHI: There has been a 200 percent jump in demand for books published by the National Council for Education, Research and Training (NCERT) from the schools affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education after they were barred from selling books by the private publishers from their premises.
The CBSE, in a circular issued in April, 2017 had asked schools against allowing sale of books by other publishers saying they can open small outlets in their premises with only NCERT books other stationery items.
“The schools were again reminded of the same in December and as a result of these circulars, NCERT has received a demand of books worth Rs 6 crore from 5,000 schools in the country,” an official in the school education and literacy department of the human resource ministry said. “The indent is 200 per cent more than the demand placed the previous year,”
The letter sent by the CBSE had said: “Selling books other than those from NCERT will be considered a violation and will attract action against the school. Parents are free to buy textbooks and stationery items from either the shop in school premises or vendors outside.”
The board had also warned the schools to stop sale of uniforms inside school premises and refrain from operating as “commercial establishments.”
Later in August, the Board allowed the schools affiliated to it to sell NCERT books, stationery and other material required by students inside school premises and asked them to place indent for purchase of NCERT books directly through its website for distribution among their students.
“The initiative was taken following demands of parents who had been saying that they are often coerced into buying expensive books by private publishers,” the HRD ministry official said. “The content of these books is often lifted from NCERT books but the packaging is different and parents feel undue pressure from schools.”
The ministry, however, has also clarified that there was just an appeal issued to schools to send demands for NCERT books.
“We had just appealed to schools across the country and the response has been overwhelming, we are hoping it gets better in the New Year,” HRD minister Prakash Javadekar had said recently.