New school session burns hole in parents’ pockets

Ludhiana: For an average middle class family, the beginning of the new school academic session is a period fraught with anxiety. Budgets have to be made and piggy banks need to be emptied — not just to pay the school readmission fees but also to buy the exorbitantly priced book sets. For those who try to save some money, it is an uphill struggle. There is additional study material every year, scuttling chances of recycling school books. Limited availability of prescribed items forces parents to the few shops and pay whatever is demanded.While most private schools in the district are affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and prescribe NCERT textbooks, parents alleged that schools also insist on purchasing additional books and materials. These supplementary items, parents say, vary from school to school and significantly increase overall expenses despite the board being the same.Parents pointed out that besides NCERT books, schools prescribe extra items such as general knowledge books, art express books, activity workbooks, geometry boxes, toolkits and other materials. According to parents, these additions have become one of the main reasons behind the increasing financial burden at the beginning of each academic session.Another major concern raised was the limited availability of these additional items. Parents alleged that many of the prescribed books and materials are available only at a few bookshops in the city. As a result, they are forced to visit multiple stores over several days to complete the list issued by schools. Parents said this not only causes inconvenience but also creates a situation where prices remain high due to lack of options.The issue of readmission fees charged by private schools also drew criticism from parents. Several parents said they were asked to pay readmission fees even though their children were continuing in the same school. According to parents, these charges are added to the existing tuition and other fees, increasing expenses for the new session.Amit Kumar, a resident of Ludhiana, said the cost of books for his nursery-going child was around Rs 2,100. "For my other child, who is entering Class I, I had to pay a total of Rs 13,100. This included charges for sports fund, tuition fee, identity card and readmission," he said. He added that different private schools follow different policies, which, according to him, should be monitored by authorities as the high costs directly affect families' finances.Priyanka, another Ludhiana resident, said her son, who is entering UKG, was asked to purchase a specific EVS book. "The book is not easily available. We have been trying to find it for the past 10 days," she said. She added that the cost of the prescribed book set was around Rs 2,100, apart from other expenses required at the start of the academic session.Another parent said her daughter, studying in Class IV, had a book set costing around Rs 6,600, which she felt was expensive considering the grade. She said the list included additional items such as activity books, GK books and art express books, which were more expensive than some of the main subject textbooks.However, some parents said costs varied significantly among private schools. One parent said he paid around Rs 600 for the book set for his child in Class VI, as the school prescribed only basic books. He added that these books were available at the school premises and at nearby bookshops. In contrast, he said a family member had to pay much higher amounts for a child studying in another private school due to additional requirements.Parents said discussions with families from different parts of the city and associated with various private schools revealed wide variation in pricing and policies. They pointed out that although CBSE affiliation is common across schools, book prices, item lists and fee-related policies differ and are revised almost every year as per decisions taken by private school authorities.Parents have demanded clear inspection by the authorities concerned to address the issue. They said prices of book sets should be uniform across CBSE-affiliated schools and that schools should avoid prescribing additional items available only at limited outlets. According to parents, eliminating such practices would help prevent monopolies and reduce the financial burden on families at the start of every academic year.