01 April,2017 08:49 AM IST | | Silky Sharma
It seems the idea of shopping for school books, essentials, uniforms etc by going to the market and visiting various shops is very, old school. But though the recent trend of schools supporting particular vendors who sell student related items might help parents, it might be actually harming other sellers
It seems the idea of shopping for school books, essentials, uniforms etc by going to the market and visiting various shops is very, old school. But though the recent trend of schools supporting particular vendors who sell student related items might help parents, it might be actually harming other sellers.
The Bombay Book Seller and Publisher Association (BBSPA) has asked school principals to stop promoting some vendors for the sale of books, stationery, and uniforms etc. It wrote to all schools in Mumbai on March 21, requesting them to desist from indulging in commercial activities, as they are harming the livelihood of other book sellers.
Education activists have also slammed schools for openly getting into commercial business by setting up uniform and stationery shopping portals.
Violating the law
"In the past three years, while the number of schools has increased, bookstores are constantly shutting down, because of the commercial activities of schools. It is the first time we have issued such a letter, as it is affecting the livelihood of other stationery vendors in the city. Also by doing this, schools are violating the law, and the government should take action," said Narendra Nandu, President of BBSPA.
Will investigate
"It is illegal if schools are giving space to vendors and promoting them. Schools cannot ask parents to buy from a particular bookstore. They are just supposed to provide parents with a list of books. We will investigate the matter if schools are indulging in such activities," said B B Chavan, Deputy Director of Education.
Principals speak
School principals had different views on the issue. "We have our own books, which are developed in house, so there is no question of buying them from anywhere. Also we are supplying them within the fee structure. Though we have provided the facility of buying a uniform online, it is not mandatory. Parents are free to buy it from anywhere," said Rustom Kerewalla, Director of Vibgyor High school.
Some schools insist they are only helping parents. "Whether vendor make profit or loss is not our concern. But some of the books are not available in bookstores. We try to resolve the issue by recommending few vendors to parents," Kavita Vaidya, principal of Somaiya Vidya Vihar School.
'Not mandatory?'
Education activists feel when a school says something is not mandatory, it is a ploy. Jayant Jain, an education activist from the Forum for Fairness in Education, in fact says schools never say it is mandatory. "But they have portals where parents can buy all school essentials. The books are generally nonstandard, for example, if notebooks are generally available in 10 inches, the school orders for 11 inches. They also put their school logo on them, and the books are supplied by a particular vendor. So it is obviously creating a monopoly in the market," said Jain.
