PRAN (Policy Research Action Network) Foundation: Education or Extortion? A Parent’s ₹9,000 Wake-Up Cal

🎒 ₹65 vs ₹620 — A Parent’s Anger, A System’s Failure

Why Are We Being Forced to Pay 10x for School Books?

By Adv. Amarjeet Singh, Founder, PRAN – Policy Research Action Network Foundation

Today was not supposed to be a policy lesson. I simply went to buy school books for my children — Class 2 and Class 6. Bill: ₹9,000.

Like every parent, I paid. Then I checked the books.

One detail hit me hard:

NCERT Class 6 Social Science book: ₹65
Private publisher Science book: ₹620

Same level. Same class.

👉 Ten times the price.

And honestly — nothing about that ₹620 book justifies it.

This Is Not a Choice. This Is Compulsion.

Let’s stop pretending parents are “choosing” these books.

We are told:

Buy from this shop
Buy this set
Buy these publishers

No alternatives. No discussion.

If you question it, the response is subtle but clear:

👉 “This is what the school follows.”

That’s not a choice.
That’s a system designed to lock you in.

The Question Nobody Answers

If a ₹65 NCERT book can teach the subject,

👉 why are we being pushed towards ₹620 books?

There are only two possibilities:

Either NCERT is inadequate (which no authority says)
Or something else is driving this system

Let’s be honest.

👉 Margins. Tie-ups. Convenience. Control.

The Ecosystem Everyone Knows — But Nobody Says

This is how it works on the ground:

Schools prescribe specific books
Publishers design content accordingly
Vendors get fixed supply rights
Parents pay without question

There is no competition here. 👉 It is a closed loop — and parents are the final paying point.

And Books Are Just the Beginning

Every parent knows this pain:

Books
Notebooks (specific pattern, specific shop)
Uniforms (fixed vendors)
Bags, diaries, “activity kits”
Fees that keep increasing quietly

Education is not just expensive anymore. 👉 It is becoming structurally unaffordable.

Let’s Call It What It Is

From a legal standpoint, this raises serious concerns:

Under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019

Forcing bundled purchases
Restricting consumer choice
Creating artificial price control

👉 This fits the textbook definition of unfair trade practice.

And under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009

👉 Education must remain accessible and equitable But what we see today is the opposite.

Even bodies like Central Board of Secondary Education and National Council of Educational Research and Training have, at different times, discouraged:

Forced vendor tie-ups
Excessive dependence on private publishers

Yet, on the ground — nothing changes.

This Is Not One School. This Is Everywhere.

Talk to any parent. You will hear the same story: 👉 “We had no option.”

That sentence alone tells you everything.

What Needs to Change (And It Can Change Fast)

This is not a complicated reform:

Make NCERT the default baseline
Allow parents to buy from open market
Stop exclusive vendor systems
Bring transparency in pricing

This is basic governance. Not rocket science.

✊ Now the Important Part — What YOU Can Do

This will not change because of one blog. It will change when parents stop staying silent.

👉 Step 1: Ask Your School (In Writing)

Send a simple email:

Why are NCERT books not sufficient?
Why are specific vendors being enforced?
Can we purchase books independently?

Even one written question creates pressure.

👉 Step 2: Share Your Experience in comments.

👉 Step 3: Refuse Silent Compliance

You may still have to buy the books. But don’t accept it as “normal”.

👉 Question it. Record it. Share it.

👉 Step 4: Be Ready for Collective Action

If enough parents come forward, this can lead to:

Formal complaints
Regulatory intervention
Even a Public Interest Litigation

PRAN’s Next Step

At PRAN Foundation, we are now examining this issue as:

👉 A consumer rights violation
👉 A policy gap
👉 A systemic economic burden on families

And we are seriously considering legal and regulatory action if sufficient evidence is built.

Final Thought

₹65 vs ₹620 is not just about money.

👉 It is about power

Who decides what your child studies?
Who decides how much you pay?
And why do you have no say in it?

If we don’t ask these questions now,

👉 The cost will not just be financial
👉 It will be the normalisation of exploitation

📢 If this resonated with you — don’t just like or share.

👉 Act. Even one email. Even one message. Even one question.

Because silence is exactly what this system depends on.

#EducationLoot #SchoolBooks #NCERT #ConsumerRights #PRAN #MiddleClassCrisis #RightToEducation