With instances of schools not being able to procure NCERT books on time having led to concern in the past, an online system has been introduced for affiliated institutions to place an indent to obtain the books required for the academic year 2018-19.
In a circular sent out by the CBSE, affiliated schools have been asked to register and place a demand for the upcoming academic year well in advance so that based on the indent, the NCERT can supply books for all classes to their empanelled vendors across the country.
A principal of a city school said that for the 2017-18 academic year, they had faced difficulties in procuring history books for Classes IX and X, as well as Sanskrit textbooks.
“There was no clear picture in the past about the number of books needed, and now, we hope that the supply will be better. Most schools have a few vendors from whom they procure the NCERT books for higher classes and often, they face a shortage of supply for a few subjects,” she said.
For the current academic year, the CBSE Schools Management Association (CMSA) reached out to nearly 80 member schools and collected the details of the number of books required by the institutions.
Easier for schools
“We then approached the NCERT and the Ministry of Human Resource Development and managed to procure the textbooks needed. Now that there is an online portal in place, it will save schools some time and they do not have to approach different vendors,” said P. Ashok Shankar, CSMA secretary.
Most schools choose to tie up with vendors from whom they procure the NCERT books. The current system has vendors procuring the books from the NCERT, which a principal said, results in delays since there is a change in demand every year. This change could be due to more schools opening or shifting to using the books, leading to not enough books being readily available or in stock.
While a majority of schools opt for the NCERT textbooks for classes IX-XII, schools can chose books by private publishers for middle school and lower classes.
