In a historic move that will ensure uniformity in education and students’ rights, the Department of Education for Delhi is ordering that it will be illegal for any private school in the city that is recognized to bind their elementary level students to textbooks not prescribed by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) or the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT). For this purpose, the state authorities have been put on notice to utilize appropriate measures and means to achieve all under the RTE (Right to Education) Act 2009 as a natural corollary to impart quality education to each and every child.

Adherence to the Quality of Education

And corresponding to this, the order reiterates that any school that makes a push for non-NCERT or non-SCERT books in utter violation. This regulation will avert the act of discrimination and will ensure that no child is harassed or left out to suffer for wanting to study with the right educational materials. The Education Department has relieved that breaches will attract severe penalties under the Juvenile Justice Act 2015- More so, if the actions are meant to persecute or make pupils undergo mental or physical torture .

Widespread Awareness and Implementation

In order to ensure implementation, the Education Department has directed schools to publish it visibly on their websites and noticeboards. The department further directed the schools to distribute printed copies of the order in their locality among the parents so that all in the neighborhood are acquainted with the rules and guidelines for availing educational materials. Heads of institutions are also directed to communicate to the students, guardians, and other relevant quarters, the provisions of the said order, putting forward the need and awareness for following a prescribed curriculum.

A Call for Uniformity in Education

This has been associated with an initiative in which educational standards are intended to be kept uniform across all private schools in Delhi. NCPCR has also advised state governments in the country to make sure that schools scrupulously follow NCERT and SCERT curriculum and textbooks, offering quality education at minimum costs to the parents since the use of private publishers leads to the increase of prices..

Community Reactions and the Way Forward The move is being widely welcomed by educationalists, but there are also others with views like that of Ashok Agarwal, National President, All India Parents Association, who feel that the circular is impractical and feared that the circular would get very quickly jettisoned by private schools. He added that the schools could come out with new ways to use private publishers’ books as add-ons to what was provided through NCERT, thus defeating the very purpose of the circular .This includes a continuance in the process, led by the Delhi Education Department, of ensuring every child strives on to receive a quality education without undue burdens. This fosters an environment where the child can access learning in a manner that upholds justice and equity for all.