The Delhi Government on Thursday issued orders to private schools asking them not to force parents to buy expensive education material and uniforms from the school or any specific vendor, failing which they would risk facing “stringent action”. An order from the Directorate of Education (DoE) said private schools are run by trusts/societies and have “no scope of profit and commercialisation”.
The order states that schools should display the class-wise list of books/writing material to be introduced in the coming session, well in advance on the school website, and also communicate it clearly to parents via other media. The DoE has additionally ordered that the schools must not change colour, design, or any other specifications of uniforms for at least the next three years.
“Apart from this, schools shall also display the names, addresses and telephone numbers of at least five shops in proximity to the school where books and uniforms shall be made available for students. However, schools are not allowed to force parents to purchase these from any of the selected vendors particularly. Parents can buy the books and uniforms from any shop as per their convenience and suitability,” the order stated.
Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister and Education Minister Manish Sisodia said that this order will give a breather to parents who are struggling to pay heavy amounts for books and uniforms in private schools. “Many households have lost their source of income since the pandemic hit two years ago, making it difficult for them to purchase expensive books and uniforms from specific shops that charge arbitrarily. This order will give freedom to parents across the city to buy books and uniforms for their children as per their convenience. No school has the authority to compel parents to buy books or uniforms from a specific vendor. The main cause of education should be to nurture the future of the nation, not minting money. Schools should know that they are under the strict supervision of the Government and will not be allowed to arbitrarily charge parents for books and uniforms,” said Sisodia.
Meanwhile, Rajiv Sharma, a resident of Preet Vihar, whose child studies at Universal Public School alleged that the school had given them a name and number of a specific vendor, who sits in the school and is charging much more for books and uniforms as compared to the market rates.
“I had to buy my child books for Rs 5,200 from the school and in the market those books are available at cheaper rates. They are charging almost double the amount from parents,” Sharma alleged.