Private Schools Warned Against Forcing Parents To Buy Books, Uniforms From Particular Shops

SRINAGAR: The Directorate Of School Education (DSEK)  on Friday warned all recognised private schools to stop compelling parents to buy books, stationary items, and uniforms from a particular shop.

DESK in a circular said that said that directorate and its subordinate offices are receiving a lot of complaints from the parents against the private schools forcing them to buy certain items from shops recommended by them.

“The books prescribed by these schools should have been available in the open market. There are some more complaints from parents wherein it is said that a large number of books are being prescribed by the private school authorities for primary classes, which unnecessary burdens the tender minds and mars the creativity,” DESK said in a circular.

Further, some private schools are forcing parents to purchase extra books for classes 6th, 7th & 8th in addition to the books prescribed by JKBOSE which amounts to extra burden on the learning of students and goes against the recommendations of National Education Policy 2020 which advocates age appropriate burden free learning of students, the order reads.

The order further reads,” The schools by prescribing additional books are going against the guidelines which are not prescribed by the Board to which the schools affiliated not only flout the recommendations envisaged in Rule 8A of J&K School Education Rules, 2010 & revised guidelines of School Bag Policy, 2020 released by Department of School Education and Literacy Ministry of Education, Government of India, but also poses extra financial burden on parents.”

Resorting to such illegal practices by few private schools is against the ethics and norms/ guidelines issued by the Government from time to time.

Henceforth, all private schools shall notify through their websites the list of subjects and the books prescribed by the Board to which they are affiliated and no other subject or book shall be made mandatory. Under no circumstances, any school shall ask parents to buy books from a particular bookshop, it said.

“It is enjoined upon all the private recognized schools to desisit from compelling the parents to purchase books or uniforms from any particular shops and change of books thereof. Further, parents should be given wider choice to purchase of books or uniforms from the open market. Any deviation from these instructions, if noticed shall be viewed seriously and action will be taken as per the provisions of law which inter-alia includes de-recognition of schools, withdrawal of managing body,” the order said.

DESK directed all Chief Education Officers to constitute special monitoring teams involving cluster heads, Zonal Education Officers to verify the complaints received on account of sale of books and uniforms by the private schools/ prescribing additional books or pressing parents for purchase from any particular shop. Action taken in this regard shall be submitted to this Directorate on monthly basis.