Parents angered by nexus of schools with bookshops

Ludhiana: Residents are not amused by the expensive set of books being provided by private contractors for the new academic year to school students, as they have to buy books for their children from shops or private contractors who have established commercial links with the schools.
Narinderpal Kaur, one of the parents, said his daughter got promoted to class V in a private school, and when she went to buy the books for her, she was shocked to know they were charging Rs5,048 for the set of books, along with some notebooks, with no discount being given to parents. Besides, the books were being sold at the maximum retail price (MRP).

Mohinderpal Kaur said her child got promoted to class X in another private school, and she was charged Rs3,000 for the set of books. She mentioned that the whole school had to come to this assigned shop to buy books for their children, due to which the shop makes huge profits.

“The school, instead of giving a prior circular to students, just informs them about the books they require for their next academic year. Then, they issue a circular stating the address and name of the shop from where the students can buy the books, which is a totally unfair trade practice. If we do not have any information about the books required by our children for the next academic year, and if the parents wait for the school to start, then it takes another three to four days for parents to arrange the books,” she rued.

Satnam Singh, a city resident, said: “On the one hand, the authorities are promoting ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’, and on the other hand, parents who work day and night for their children to make them study in good schools have to pay such huge amounts for basic amenities like books. This is something the CBSE authorities or other designated officers must look into, as there are many who feel that a big hole is being created in their pockets, and have to simply grin and bear it. Instead of making a big business out of people’s basic requirements, the central government should keep a check and control the pricing of books.”