Use only prescribed textbooks, schools told

NOIDA: The district inspector of schools has asked all the CBSE/ICSE schools in Gautam Budh Nagar to use textbooks of only that curriculum which has been prescribed by the affiliated board.
Two members of the All Schools Parent Association (ASPA) had filed complaints on the Integrated Grievance Redressal Portal (IGRS) seeking that all CBSE affiliated schools be asked to prescribe only NCERT books to the students in consonance with a CBSE circular dated December 18 last year.

Mohit Singhal, a resident of Noida, filed a complaint on February 21 on the state-level portal following which the same was forwarded for action to the secondary education department.

CBSE secretary Anurag Tripathi has asked schools to open small outlets or tuck shops to supply only NCERT textbooks, adding that they should not sell books of any other publishers.“The price charged for all these items should not be more than the MRP. Parents are free to buy textbooks and stationery items from within the premises of or from any other vender of their choice. It may be noted that selling books other than NCERT ones will be considered a violation of this circular and will attract action against the school,” reads the circular.

Shivani Jain, ASPA president has filed a similar request on the IGRS from Ghaziabad seeking that all CBSE affiliated schools in Uttar Pradesh be asked to prescribe only the NCERT books to the students.

“I am still waiting for a reply from the Ghaziabad education department. Last year, many prominent schools had to shut their tuck shops after parents protested against commercial activities inside the school. Some schools had given this alibi that they do not have enough NCERT books for sale. However, the latest circular of the CBSE has made it clear that the schools have to place an order for NCERT books in advance,” she said.

Parents said that they will wait for April when the new session begins to see whether the order will be complied with.