Caught between last-minute government orders and school-issued book lists, parents in Bhopal have found themselves confused, frustrated and financially burdened as the textbook row deepens.
Despite clear directives warranting the inclusion of exclusively NCERT books in the CBSE syllabus, few schools in the state capital have heeded the orders.
On March 18, Divisional Joint Director in the Public Education Department, Arvind Chaurgade, issued a circular to all district education officers, instructing strict use of NCERT textbooks in CBSE-affiliated schools. The directive also urged officials to ensure strict adherence to the orders in their jurisdictions.
This was followed on March 29 by School Education Minister Rao Uday Pratap Singh reaffirming the state’s commitment to the NCERT mandate. He stressed that schools must align with CBSE’s amended textbook guidelines, which now make NCERT books compulsory for Classes 1 to 12.
Despite these clear orders, schools in Bhopal did not fully comply. By late March, most schools had issued book lists favouring private publishers. Book purchases by parents began soon after, with little clarity about the upcoming changes.
Meanwhile, CBSE announced a syllabus revision for Classes 4, 5, 7 and 8, further complicating matters. Many parents, unaware of the change or pressured by schools, ended up buying books based on the old syllabus — books that may soon become unusable.
The Bhopal Collector’s office responded only on April 8, when an order was issued warning schools against compelling parents to purchase books or uniforms from select vendors. By this time, most parents had already made their purchases.
Eight inspection teams were formed under the leadership of local Sub-Divisional Magistrates (SDMs), with each team including a Tehsildar, a Block Education Officer, and two principals from government schools. These teams were directed to conduct surprise inspections and submit daily reports.
However, no significant action has been taken so far. Most teams have yet to initiate concrete steps to check non-compliance or probe allegations of schools benefiting from commissions on books and uniforms.
An audit of book lists issued by CBSE schools suggests that a majority of these institutions have failed to comply with the orders. Responding to queries, they said that the syllabus was approved months before the directives came into force.
According to the District Education Office, guidelines make it mandatory for all schools to publish class-wise lists of books on their websites.
Sources say that besides minimising chances of corruption, the move also ensures the cultural propriety of the books being taught to impressionable young children.
Schools, however, take this as an attack on their autonomy and accuse administrators of micromanagement and interference in their domain.
At a time when speculation about stringent implementation of the new directives is rife, it seems that parents and students will eventually pay the price for the widening rift between the administration and private school managements.