Taking cognisance of parents’ grievances, the Delhi government has initiated strict action against the private schools allegedly forcing parents to purchase expensive books and uniforms from specific vendors.

“So far, show-cause notices have been sent to 12 private schools across the capital for not following the guidelines of the Directorate of Education. If satisfactory answers to notices are not received from schools, they will have to face action by the department,” an official statement said on Wednesday.

Immediate action is being taken on the complaints of parents, and show-cause notice has been sent to 12 schools, and an inquiry has been ordered against six other schools, the statement said.

Sharing the information, Delhi Education Minister Atishi said, “Notices have been sent to the concerned schools asking them to explain the reasons for the complaints received from parents. Additionally, an investigation is also being carried out by the Directorate of Education (DoE).”

“If any violations of guidelines are found, action will be taken against these schools under the relevant provisions of the Delhi School Education Act, 1973. I am personally keeping an eye on the complaints received from parents and have instructed the Education Department to promptly address every such grievance,” she said.

The statement further said that despite the clear guidelines of DoE on books and uniforms, complaints against many schools allegedly forcing parents to buy expensive books and uniforms from specific vendors were being received.

This is a clear violation of the rules, and to address this, the Education Department is working diligently to resolve every complaint received from parents on a priority basis, the statement said.

“For schools where such complaints are coming up, officials are conducting investigations into these complaints, and notices have been issued to explain the reasons for violating the guidelines,” it said.

Atishi said, “Guidelines issued by the Education Department give freedom to parents to buy books and uniforms from the vendors of their choice. If any school forces parents to buy expensive books and uniforms from specific vendors, then it is a violation of the rules. This will not be tolerated by the Kejriwal government and strict action will be taken against schools found guilty of violating these rules.”

She added that every parent has the right to obtain proper information about books and uniform for the upcoming session before the start of the new academic year so that they can make arrangements according to their convenience, rather than by being forced by schools to purchase these items from specific shops or on their own. The goal of education should be to shape the future of the country, not to earn money.

The guidelines of the Education Department state that private schools must display a class-wise list of books and other study materials on their website before the beginning of the new academic session to inform parents. Additionally, schools must also display at least five nearby shops’ addresses and phone numbers on their website where parents can purchase books and school uniforms.

Parents have the freedom to buy these items from any store at their convenience, and the school cannot compel them to purchase from a particular vendor. The guidelines also state that private schools cannot change the colour, design, or other specifications of school uniforms for at least three years.