Jamshedpur: Advocate Kulwinder Singh, President of the Qaumi Sikh Morcha, has slammed the Jharkhand Education Department for issuing what he terms an arbitrary decree. He claims the department’s latest order significantly inconveniences parents of students studying in the state’s private schools.
The Departmental Ban
The Education Department recently prohibited private school managements from selling textbooks, notebooks, stationery, or uniforms within school premises. Furthermore, the order forbids schools from recommending specific book vendors.
The department warned that any school found violating these rules would face severe consequences, including the cancellation of their recognition or No Objection Certificate (NOC).
Unintended Consequences for Parents
This order has effectively banned school-based book stalls for the 2026 academic session. While the department intended to curb “commission-seeking” and profit-making by school managements, the move has backfired on the average consumer:
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End of Discounts: Previously, school-authorized stalls often provided bundled discounts. Now, parents must buy from open-market retailers who charge the full printed price (MRP) without any concessions.
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Market Struggle: Parents are now forced to navigate crowded markets and multiple bookshops to compile their children’s required materials.
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Economic Burden: Instead of saving money, families are paying more at retail stores than they did during school-managed sales.
A Call for Intervention
Advocate Kulwinder Singh highlighted that while certain organizations complained about school management making “huge profits” through commissions, the remedy has proven worse than the ailment.
“The Chief Minister, who also holds the Education portfolio, must intervene immediately,” Singh stated. “The government needs to streamline this process to ensure that policies intended to curb corruption do not end up harassing the very parents they are meant to protect.”
