Schools rapped for 'uniform' fleecing

Do you dread the start of an academic year because you think that your child's school is determined to squeeze you dry? You're not alone.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has received several complaints from parents that under the pretence of maintaining uniformity, schools often insist that parents buy accessories like uniforms, books and shoes only from stores they have a tie-up with, which make a killing with inflated prices. The board has now issued a circular warning, uploaded on its website, of tough action against such profit-churning schools.

Parents were visibly relieved with the CBSE chairman Vineet Joshi's warning. Stressing that the warning is the need of the hour, they agreed that purchasing branded school uniforms, stationery, sweaters, shoes and socks burns a hole in their pocket.

Janet Agnel, whose 12-year-old son studies in a school in Fort, said, "A few weeks before the start of an academic year, the school gives us a list of accessories to be bought. Everything, right from the school uniform to socks, has to be bought at the outlet prescribed by the school. Even the school sweater needs to match the school uniform and we are told to buy it only from that shop. This shop sells such items at twice the market price. We have no choice but to buy from there.”

Mukesh Suthar, a Powai parent of a Class IX student, said, "We get a list of books to buy from the schools. Besides textbooks and notebooks, this list consists of many helpers such as workbooks and guides. These books are more expensive than the average textbook. But they are rarely used by the children in the year. At the end of the year, these workbooks have only a few pages filled in.''

Jayant Jain, president of the Forum for Fairness in Education, alleged parents have had to spend anywhere between Rs5,000 and Rs 50,000 on school accessories alone. He claimed that many schools have tie-ups with certain brands and shops and that some invite vendors to sell such products on their premises on particular days before the start of an academic year.

"Such products, especially books, are deliberately made non-standard and made to order by the school. Schools give dimensions like 'eight-and-a-half inches', which will not be easily available anywhere else in the market. Parents are, therefore, compelled to buy from the school vendors. Schools indulging in such activities should be penalised," he said.