PURNIMA BISHT | Dehradun
Many parents have praised the Dehradun district administration for taking action against various violations by bookstores selling school textbooks. However, several residents claimed that the problem extends far beyond bookstores, describing it as a deeply entrenched network involving school owners, booksellers, uniform vendors and stationery suppliers who exploit parents, leaving them with no choice but to comply if they want their children to be schooled.
Housewife Suman Panwar shared her ordeal of purchasing textbooks costing Rs 6,800 for her daughter, who has just been promoted to class IV. “I still have to buy notebooks, which are also mandatory to purchase from the same bookstore. There is only a two-year age gap between my two children, yet I cannot reuse my older son’s books for his sister because the school changes books almost every year. The syllabus remains almost the same, the content is largely unchanged. They just shuffle a few chapters from the beginning to the end. This forces us to buy new, overpriced books. These sellers do not even provide a proper bill. They simply scribble the amount on a piece of paper and hand it over. Since schools reportedly receive a huge cut from their earnings, we cannot even complain,” she said.
Another resident, Shubham Sharma also talked about the rampant overpricing and the unethical cash-only transactions demanded by some bookstores. “If the bill exceeds Rs 10,000, they refuse to accept cheques or UPI payments, citing flimsy excuses. They force us to buy unnecessary books or items by claiming they come as a set. If we protest, they simply refuse to sell us the books because they are the only ones with the school-authorised sets. It feels like extortion but we are helpless because if we resist, the school creates problems for our children. I was happy to hear about the authorities taking action against these bookstores but if they really want to make a difference, they must also act against private schools which run the whole thing.”
Sofiya Bano, another resident, pointed out that the exploitation is not limited to books alone but extends to uniforms as well. “Schools frequently change their uniforms, forcing parents to buy new ones from specific sellers. One year, they alter the tie design, the next, they modify the sweater stripes or the entire uniform within two years. Sometimes, they make it compulsory to purchase a sweater, blazer, tracksuit and other items, even if the child does not need them. Parents endure both financial and emotional stress just to provide a good education for their children. And this is without even mentioning the skyrocketing school fees, which increase almost every year. The entire system is run by an education mafia that profits off helpless parents. Dehradun is no longer an education hub. It has become a place where people are exploited in the name of education.”
Another citizen Kedar Bhandari expressed relief over the recent raids on bookstores and the FIRs registered against them. “I recently bought books from one of the raided stores. The owners are incredibly rude and dismissive if you even question them. When I went to buy books for my granddaughter, I noticed that her syllabus included the same GK book she had in the previous class. So I asked them to remove it from the set but the seller arrogantly refused, saying it was compulsory. I pointed out that we did not need it and that I would have to pay almost Rs 400 extra but he coldly told me it did not matter and I had to buy it because no other store sells that specific set. And he was right, as I had no option but to pay for it. This is not just about spending extra money, it is outright harassment. Schools are equally responsible for this, as they empower these book sellers and give them unchecked authority. Action must be taken against them as well,” he said.
Many parents believe that while the crackdown on bookstores is a step in the right direction but they opine that it is just the tip of the iceberg. Many insist that unless authorities extend their action to private schools, the exploitation will continue and the education mafia will remain untouched.
