PCMC issues notices to 4 private schools for forcing parents to buy educational material from them, seals classrooms

Mrunal Jadhav

Pimpri Chinchwad, August 4, 2020: The Education Department of Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has issued notices to four private schools in the city for violating government orders by forcing students to buy educational materials from them at high rates.

The rooms of the schools storing these materials such as uniforms, notebooks, textbooks have been sealed by the PCMC. Vilas Patil, Nodal Officer, PCMC, Education Department, said that as per Government Resolution (GR) in this regard, it has been prohibited to make it mandatory for parents to purchase educational materials like textbooks, uniforms or stationery from school or the school-suggested shop itself. He said he has been receiving many complaints regarding this from parents.

“Such complaints are often found against private, unaided schools. According to the GR, such schools could face severe action, and that is why we have sealed the classrooms where the materials were stored. We have issued notices and are awaiting the response from the schools,” Patil said, appealing that more parents should come forward and complain about such violations.

The GR issued by the State Department of Education on June 11, 2004 states that no private school may make it mandatory to purchase uniforms or other educational materials directly or indirectly from the school list or from any particular vendor. The GR also instructs schools to notify parents in advance of changes in books or uniforms throughout the year. The 2004 government resolution also outlines strict action against such complaints against schools, including blacklisting such schools, cutting off their assistance (if the school is aided), revoking their accreditation and serving notices to them.