National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) member Priyank Kanoongo on Tuesday alleged that an "education mafia" was attempting to derail a government push for affordable schoolbooks. In a post on X, Kanoongo stated that he had directed state governments to ensure the use of affordable NCERT and SCERT books in place of expensive private publisher books in private schools. He emphasized that this directive was issued under the powers of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, within the framework of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009.
Allegations of Pressure Tactics
Kanoongo claimed that the "education mafia is employing a policy of 'saam daam dand bhed' to pressure and overturn my order." He added that attempts to stay or stop the directive would not succeed. "We will continue to fight the battle for the poor and middle-class families of India. Because this country is ours," he said.
Background of the Issue
The NHRC had earlier issued notices to the Ministry of Education, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), and all states and Union Territories over allegations that schools were forcing parents and students to buy costly private publisher books. The commission further alleged that prescribing multiple books and workbooks was against the National School Bag Policy, 2020, which regulates the weight of school bags and limits extra materials.
Complaint by Namo Foundation
The action came after a complaint was filed by a think tank, the Namo Foundation. The complaint stated that such practices put an "exorbitant financial burden" on families, as privately published books are much more expensive compared to subsidised NCERT textbooks, which are kept affordable. The NHRC has taken a firm stance to ensure that the right to education is not compromised by commercial interests.
