The bond between CBSE (Central Board for Secondary Education) schools and private textbook publishers seems to be strong enough to bypass the Board or those governing it. Despite several pleas from parents, recommendations and orders from the CBSE, private schools are gearing up once again to coerce the parents into buying books of private publishers for the upcoming academic year.

Just last year, Minister of State for School Education, Deepak Joshi had instructed the officials to ensure that school managements do not force parents to buy books of private publishers. This was followed by CBSE issuing a circular to private schools that they prescribe only NCERT books for students. Even Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani stated that only NCERT books are recommended for students of CBSE schools. None of this could make any impact as hundreds of city schools following CBSE syllabus cock a snook at these directives.

“If promoting books of private publishers is one issue then denying NCERT books is another,” said M. Aruna, a resident of Begumpet and a mother of fifth class student studying in a private CBSE school. “Once, when I asked for NCERT books I was told they are out of stock. I had to buy a textbook from another publisher at the school stationery shop which was thrice the cost of the NCERT book.”

In February 2013, the CBSE had incorporated an additional rule in its affiliation bylaws to keep a check on schools prescribing books other than the ones published by NCERT. “..the school would put a list of such books prescribed by it on its website with the written declaration signed duly signed by the manager and the principal to the effect that they have gone through the contents of the books prescribed by the school and own responsibility,” read contents from Rule 15.1 (d) of the circular.

A close look at the websites of some of the city-based private CBSE schools websites clearly show that this rule just exists on paper. Most of the schools have not even uploaded the details of the books they recommend, leave alone the declaration document. “It is a fact that private publishers give huge commissions to the school managements for recommending their books to the students. The same practice has even extended to uniforms, shoes to sports equipment. Parents are ignorant about rules and blindly spend money buying what they are told to by the school management,” said a vice-principal working in a private school in Secunderabad.

When asked to comment on this issue, a senior official from CBSE Regional office in Chennai said that their powers are limited since they are not a regulatory but more of an advisory body.