Parents to cough up 400 cr on textbooks

​Hyderabad: Parents, whose children attend private schools,will supposedly spend Rs 400 crore in the next two weeks for purchasing textbooks and other stationery items as the schools are slated to reopen on 12 June.

As many as 33.25 lakh students will attend private schools from June 12 in cities, towns and villages. The cost of the textbooks and other stationery items on an average would be over Rs 1,000 per student.

Though the government asked the private schools to not sell textbooks in their premises, they continue to sell books at the rates they have fixed.

The government had been printing as many as three crore textbooks every year and supplying 20 per cent of them to the open market on the prices fixed at cost to cost basis. However most of the private schools have been prescribing textbooks printed by private agencies which are usually costly.

While the government-supplied books would cost Rs 150 (for all subjects) for first class students and Rs 500 (for all subjects) for tenth class students, the private schools are collecting Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 for the same set of books. The government text books are sold with more than 100 per cent margin.

A private school in Hyderabad had charged Rs 5,875 for the books and stationery items of a seventh class student.

The corporate schools have been collecting more than Rs 3,000 for textbooks, popular private schools are collecting Rs 2,000 for a set of books and stationary and private schools of small scale and those in rural areas have been collecting Rs 1,000.

Telangana Parents Association president N Narayana told The Hans India that on an average, parents have to spend more than Rs 1,000 for a set of textbooks.

A deputy district educational officer said the private schools should not sell the textbooks in their premises and if any such activity is reported they would take action.