Gujarat government has hiked prices of school text books by almost 200 per cent
The Gujarat government has increased the prices of textbooks for primary schools from 100 to 200 per cent from this academic session. These books are meant for all government schools including municipal school boards where majority of children come from economically-deprived families.
The move has sparked off protests by parents.
"Compared to last year this time we have had to shell out double the cost for buying books for our children... not to mention the tuition fee increase," said an agitated mother, Trusha Patel.
For standard one, the price of a set of textbooks has gone up from Rs 61 last year, to Rs 158 this year. Standard two students will have to pay Rs 131 instead of Rs 61, books for third standard are priced at Rs 185 compared to Rs 78 last year. The price for fourth standard books are pegged at Rs 199 which was Rs 111 last year, and for fifth standard, the cost of books have gone up from Rs 71 last year to Rs 170 this year.
The opposition is crying foul. "On the one hand the quality of content and production of the textbooks is on a downhill and on the other hand they are just interested in increasing the costs. This is not justified for poor students," fumed state Congress spokesperson, Manish Doshi.
But the chief of the state textbook board Nitin Khetani, claims that the hike had become inevitable. "Prices have not been revised in the last 10 years, so it has become imperative this year," he said.
Over the years, the state text board has become infamous for bloopers, and now increasing prices of books has come as a blow, especially to parents who are economically weak.