NCERT officials say the quality has been enhanced over the years
A fresh sets of uniforms, new textbooks and stationery – these usually send any student into a tizzy at the beginning of every academic year. But students and parents who bought the new set of NCERT text books were in for a rude shock as many of the text books are in a poor state. With sheets torn, the binding worn out and many of the photographs blurred, most of these books seem second-hand. For instance, the pictures in the Social Science book for class IX [Democratic politics – I] look pixelated and the sides of the hard cover have been worn out. The same is the case with the history textbook of class IX. “When I brought it to the notice of the teacher, she showed me books that were even worse – the pages were loose,” said a parent whose son is studying at P.S. Higher Secondary School.
Schools, book stores and parents who have been buying NCERT books regularly are not surprised. They say that not much can be expected considering the price (each book costs Rs.45). Besides, not many are willing to raise objections about the quality of books as it is sometimes difficult to get the entire set of books. Parents are relieved enough if a school supplies them as otherwise they would have to go searching for them.
“Textbooks with their colour and print should interest children to probe further into a subject, but these books have always been short of it. The first thing we do after getting all the textbooks is send them for binding, otherwise they will not last for a year,” said R.M. Manickaam, a grandparent of a Kendriya Vidyalaya student.
Most CBSE schools prefer books published by private publishers until class VIII. The Kendriya Vidyalayas are some of the few institutions that prefer NCERT books across classes. Teachers say it can be a shocker to see the difference in quality of these books for students who are used to glossy pages and colours.
V. Krishna Moorthy, a teacher with Chettinad Vidyashram, says the quality of books actually seems to have improved over the years. “For the price you cannot expect it to be of superior quality,” he said. Other teachers say books of primary classes are much more colourful and NCERT generally takes feedback when it introduces a new book.
When The Hindu contacted NCERT officials in Delhi, they said it has been using 70 GSM and 80 GSM paper, thus improving the quality of the prints. “This year, we have also revised our printing rate, from Rs. 30 to Rs. 45 and the quality has been enhanced,” said an official. He added that the books, about which complaints have been received, were probably from last year's stock. Customers could send in their feedback to the Publications Head.
Keywords: NCERT officials, textbooks, second-hand look
Can somone reconcile the shortage of books, and how they can be last year's stock at the same time? Don't these books arrive packed in decent cartons to handle the weight of the books? It has always been the responsibility of the publisher to take back damaged stock, and/or sell it at a reduced price vis-a-vis a new book in excellent condition.
Quality of the content matters. KV students are more bright and studious
( they do not memorize from glossy books)
For 45 INR, these books are of good quality.
Doesn't the author know "Never judge a book by its cover" ?
I expect THE HINDU to publish more sensible things.
There is no match to the standard of an NCERT textbook .Whatsoever
people may comment I am reminded of my 10th class on seeing the
political science and history textbooks (The same books I used in my
10th class 2008!).These books are simply superb.Damages are common while
transporting, this isn't a big issue.Maybe a little extra care may be
needed that's it.
I did my schooling from a CBSE school and these books have always been of this kind. We either stitch them or put a cover to these books in those days. The quality of the written material is so good that its still the base for IAS Prelim exams. I am not sure whats the fuzz behind these books/pages of inferior quality as they have been so for years. Look at the value of what is written inside rather the covers!!
I think students and parents these days want everything perfect and to the satisfaction, who cares of either binding it or putting up a cover and retain these books. Who has time and who cares to be so!!
During my schooling the text used to be very small in size, but content wise they were the best,binding is an issue, but all in all it is more worthy than its price. NCERT zindabad!
The best part is parents are concerned about the quality of the pages when it is of such a low price.
The content of NCERT has so far been the best amongst the other courses.If followed properly it decreases the need of refreshers/guides also.I was a KV'an through-out. I never heard such complains regarding the "quality of pages". No wonder the "quality of the content" is wonderfull, and people forget mentioning that .
Is there a scam here too?
Personally, I don't feel there is any problem with the NCERT books. Maybe the issue of the tearings and photos is a slight point of concern. But with a tweaked and slightly more efficient delivery system that has some kind of feedback mechanism at checking for damage would help in avoiding such mishaps altogether. Apart from that the overall content and the way of presentation in the NCERT books is supreme and I really don't understand the concern expressed above. They are well researched books written by experts in the field born out of not so commercial interests. You learn the facts without even knowing you are actually reading something . That's NCERT for you !!
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