Affiliation bylaws: CBSE makes NCERT books optional

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 22

According to the new affiliation bylaws of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), it is not mandatory for schools affiliated to it to prescribe textbooks published by the NCERT.

However, the Madras High Court, in an order dated May 29, 2018, directed the use of ‘only’ NCERT books in the CBSE schools. The court had also pulled the Board for filing an appeal against the order. The court had said, “The CBSE is bound to follow the NCERT syllabus, which has been prescribed by experts.”

The order had read, “This court has every reason to believe that there is a hidden agenda between CBSE officials and private book publishers. That’s the reason why even a direction to use the NCERT books alone is being appealed by the CBSE.”

The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) had asked the principal secretaries of all states/UTs to show compliance with the court orders, following which the UT Education Department released a notification to schools on September 13.

Rina Ray, Secretary, MHRD, who visited the city recently, said, “The MHRD is yet to decide whether only the NCERT books should be made compulsory in schools. The CBSE has already filed an appeal against the Madras High Court order.”

Meanwhile, city parents have from time to time demanded the use of only NCERT books in schools as books of private publishers burn a hole in their pockets.

Nitin Goyal, president of Chandigarh Parents Association, said, “What is the hesitation in prescribing NCERT books for all schools in the country? Why can’t we have one nation, one education?”

He said according to the new bylawss, the schools could not force parents to buy books and uniforms from a particular shop, while this is just an eyewash in the absence of any binding regulations. There had been an organised nexus of private schools with private publishers and booksellers, he said.

“In the absence of any direction from the Education Department, most private schools cleverly prescribe such set of textbooks and uniforms, which are available only at a particular shop, with which they have a tie-up. In this way, a perfect monopoly is created and parents are forced to buy full sets of the textbooks, stationary items and uniforms from the shops designated by the schools at exorbitant rates,” he said.

The Board, in the affiliation rules, has also asked the schools to put up a list of prescribed books on its website and to follow the curriculum and syllabus prescribed by the NCERT/CBSE.