Publishers go the extra mile

Educationists have said that several schools across the country were still using these books due to a nexus between the schools and the publishers. “Private publishers try to attract schools to subscribe for their study material by using several tactics. They sponsor trips, give freebies to schools etc to try and coax them into buying their books. Several schools often succumb to such unfair tactics,” said a senior educationist from Mumbai on condition of anonymity.  He also added that through various ways, these publishers use schools to market their products.

In March, Upendra Kushwaha, Minister of State for HRD, had said in response to a question in Lok Sabha that the CBSE had no mechanism to evaluate the quality of textbooks by private publishers. “There should be a way to review the books by private publishers. At the same time, if CBSE tries to upgrade its syllabus every year, schools would not be tempted to use books by other publishers, some of which are upgraded constantly,” said a principal of another school in Mumbai.