Pay Rs 1 lakh fine for using books from pvt publishers, forcing students to buy them from specific shops: Sambhal admin to 33 schools

Indian Express

05-05-2025

The Sambhal district administration has imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh each on 33 private schools affiliated with the CBSE and ICSE boards for allegedly using books from private publishers and 'compelling' students to purchase them from designated shops.
The action follows an inquiry conducted by the district administration after receiving complaints from parents. The inquiry team found that the schools were not only bypassing the recommended NCERT textbooks but were also putting pressure on parents to buy books from specific vendors — violating norms set by the state government.
In addition to the book-related violations, the administration is also investigating complaints regarding a 'surge' in school fees and further action may be taken based on the findings.
'It is clearly instructed that only National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) books should be used. However, we received complaints that several schools were prescribing books from private publishers and directing parents to buy them from specific shops,' said Shyama Kumar, District Inspector of Schools (DIOS), Sambhal.
He added that an inquiry found that out of the 34 private schools operating in the district, 33 were found to be violating the guidelines of Uttar Pradesh Self-Financed Independent Schools (Fee Regulation) Act. We found one school in the Chandausi area of Sambhal where NCERT books were being used for teaching.' These schools are from nursery to Class 10 and 12.
District Magistrate (DM), Sambhal, Dr Rajender Pensiya, confirmed that a fine of Rs 1 lakh each has been imposed on 33 schools violating the norms. He added that their main objective is that schools should follow norms and use NCERT books, as prescribed.
If school authorities again found violating the rules, more stringent action would be taken against them, said the DM.
DIOS said the 33 schools authorities have been directed to deposit the fine within a week.
According to officials, a group of parents recently submitted a complaint to the District Inspector of Schools (DIOS) and the District Magistrate, alleging that private schools were forcing them to buy books from private publishers available only at specific shops. Several parents also accused the schools of significantly increasing their fee structures without justification.
In response to the complaints, the district administration convened a meeting last month with representatives of private schools and told them that they are violating the Act. During the meeting, school authorities were directed to refrain from imposing excessive fees and to strictly follow the mandate of using only NCERT textbooks.
However, when no significant changes were observed, the administration called another meeting of its officials and decided to conduct a detailed survey of each school to verify whether they are violating the rules. District officials were assigned to each school to carry out physical inspections and submit comprehensive reports on the basis of the findings.
Source said it was found that at a few places, parents of students were asked to purchase from bookstores on or near the school campus.
After the inquiry, the district administration convened a meeting to review the probe report. The findings confirmed that 33 schools were in violation of established norms.
On the issue of alleged fee hikes, Shyama Kumar said the administration had issued a detailed format to all private schools, asking them to provide their fee structures for the past three years. 'All schools have submitted the required data and an audit is underway. We are examining the percentage increase in fees by each school during the past three academic years,' he said.