CBSE Affiliated Schools Refer Books From Private Publications, Leads To Shortage Of NCERT Texts In Patna

Private schools affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) are referring private publishers’ books to their students instead of providing them with standard National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) textbooks. This change in norm has led to a shortage of NCERT books for classes six to eight in the market, compelling parents to purchase both the expensive private books and the overpriced NCERT books.

The situation is exacerbated due to a five per cent increase in book prices compared to the previous year, with school operators opting for reference books from private publishers of their choice. 

Investigations by Dainik Jagran revealed that schools, such as one at Gandhi Maidan, do not stock these books, directing inquiries to publishers in locations like Kurji. This pattern is not isolated to a single institution but is prevalent across all private schools in Patna.

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Publishers have set specific prices for book sets across different classes, ranging from Rs 2,000 to Rs 7,000, with a 10 per cent discount offered to consumers. Despite CBSE's regulations prohibiting the sale of books on school premises, private schools, except missionary schools, continue to sell books on campus, burdening parents with higher costs. 

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Dr DK Singh, President of the Bihar Public School and Children Welfare Association, explained that the limited availability of NCERT books is due to the printing is based on the number of students in Kendriya Vidyalayas and Navodaya Vidyalayas, leaving CBSE-affiliated private school children without access.

Rakesh Rai from the All India Parents Association criticised the schools' partnerships with private publishers, which contradicts the CBSE’s directive for private schools to use NCERT books from classes 6 to 12.