After fee hike, textbooks cost worries parents

Parents are undergoing a lot of pressure owing to the exorbitant private school fees. Now, adding to that the amounts for purchasing textbooks, particularly for primary school students, is also turning troublesome for them.

In government schools, the full set of textbooks for class 1 to class 5, cost around Rs 150 to Rs 250, however, the same books from a different publisher are sold for thousands of rupees in private schools.

According to the dealers' rates, the average cost for a single textbook is Rs 220 and schools get a nearly 50% discount from the publisher but the discount is not passed on to the parents.

Meanwhile, Officials of Telangana Government Textbook Press (TGTP), said private publishers are selling a book costing Rs 25 at Rs 200. Parents are demanding the government to instruct schools against selling at their premises, instead release the publications’ name.