Schools continue to use pvt publishers’ books
Naina Mishra
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, January 2
With only three months left for the commencement of the new academic session, private schools are at it again to use private publishers’ books.
The schools are required to send demand for NCERT books few months before the session to avoid any delay. At present, the schools are using private publishers’ books for junior classes.
HS Mamik, president, Independent School Association, said, “We begin using NCERT books after Class IX. There are over a 100 mistakes in NCERT books and we don’t want to give incorrect information to children. We will use private publishers’ again in the new session.”
The Education Department instructed all private schools to use only National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT) books by showing compliance with the Madras High Court orders. The District Education Officer issued a circular dated September 13 directing schools to prescribe and use only NCERT books as per the CBSE circulars. The order by the Education Department was issued in compliance with the Madras High Court order dated May 29, 2018, in WP No. 25680 of 2017 filed by M Purushothaman vs Union of India and others.
In the judgment, the Madras High Court observed that “When the Government of India and NCERT decide about the curriculum, the CBSE and the schools affiliated to it are bound to follow the very same syllabus and books prescribed by NCERT. Otherwise, the whole exercise made by various stakeholders, including educationalists, academicians, experts, etc, would become futile. If schools are at liberty to choose books, it would only create chaos and confusion and there would not be uniformity in education throughout the country. Hence, there shall a direction to prescribe and use NCERT books alone to CBSE students.”
Every year, parents and private schools are at loggerheads as pricey private books burn a hole in formers’ pockets. Nitin Goyal, president of the Chandigarh Parents’ Association, said, “Private schools are afraid of losing their commissions if NCERT books are prescribed. Mistakes and content quality issues are there in private publications too. Under Article 249 of Punjab Education Code, they are bound to use only those textbooks which are prescribed by the Education Department. Earlier, the department had not prescribed any list, but now they have done so under the directions of the MHRD in compliance with the order of the Madras High Court.”
