Late RTE Enforcement Sparks Parental Outrage in Haryana

Haryana govt orders strict RTE, book & uniform rules in schools; parents call it delayed & ineffective after session start.

on Apr 08, 2025

Late RTE Enforcement Sparks Parental Outrage in Haryana

The Directorate of School Education ordered District Education Officers all over the state to strictly enforce the Haryana School Education Rules and the Right of Education (RTE) Act in the sale and endorsement of school books and school uniforms in private schools. The order, however, has been criticized by parents and parent groups, who claim that it is coming too late in the academic year to be of any substantial assistance.

The parent bodies have referred to the directive, published after the school session has already begun, as nothing short of a "mere formality" and a "delayed eyewash." They mention that the majority of parents have already purchased costly book sets recommended by private schools.

The Directorate's letter raised several irregular practices being adopted by private schools according to information. These involve compelling parents to purchase costly books from private publishers rather than the NCERT or CBSE-approved textbooks and suggesting non-requisite reference books that are not in accordance with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 or the National Curriculum Framework. Frequent uniform changes, imposing the carrying of water bottles, and disregarding regulations regarding the load of school bags are some of the other violations reported.

Even after the department's renewed focus, parents are not yet convinced of its efficacy.

A parent opined, "A book for Class 4 is being retailed at Rs 4,800. It's a great burden on middle-class families."

Ajay Kumar Gupta, Parents Welfare Association president, Ambala Cantonment, stated, "There is no advantage of sending such letters a week after the new session starts.". Most of the parents have already purchased the books of private publishers as recommended by the school. A fictional scarcity of NCERT books is thus created to allow the sale of the books of private publishers. If the Education Department is committed to these things, it should make the NCERT books available and initiate serious action against the offenders. The schools have the deals with the publishers and make reference to specific shops. The officials are very much aware of such practices but do not do anything."

Reiterating the same concern, Kulbhushan Sharma, president of the National Independent Schools Alliance, said, "Private schools require books at the very beginning of the academic year. If the government wishes to keep private publishers' books out of the private schools, it should make a declaration in December or January that the NCERT books will be sold through its depots.". Apart from this, the government should also control the rates of private publishers by determining the rate per page in a book. This can be done by the government only. In the case of frequent uniform changes, we stand by the government, and it should take action against the schools frequently changing the uniforms."

Replying to this, District Elementary Education Officer (DEEO) Sudhir Kalra stated, "According to the instructions received, a letter has been dispatched to the block-level authorities to ensure the implementation of the Haryana Education Rules and RTE Act. We have also asked the officials to conduct surprise checks in the schools and if there is any complaint, we will write to the directorate for action against the private schools.". Grievance redressing officers have been posted in every block to deal with the grievances. The schools have also been requested to prohibit junk food in school canteens.