New Delhi: Alleging that an “education mafia” is trying to derail a state government directive on affordable schoolbooks, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) member Priyank Kanoongo said on Tuesday the fight for poor and middle-class families would continue.
In an X post, Kanoongo said he directed state governments to use affordable books from NCERT and SCERT in place of expensive books from private publishers in private schools.
Kanoongo, former National Commission for Protection of Child Rights Chairperson, said the move was taken under the powers provided by the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, within the ambit of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009.
“The education mafia is employing a policy of ‘saam daam dand bhed’ (by hook or by crook) to pressure and overturn my order,” he said, adding that efforts to stay or halt the directive would not succeed.
“We will continue to fight the battle for the poor and middle-class families of India. Because this country is ours,” Kanoongo said.
According to media reports, the NHRC had earlier issued notices to the Ministry of Education, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), and all states and Union territories over allegations that schools were pressuring students and parents to buy books from private publishers.
The NHRC took action after think tank Namo Foundation filed a complaint.
The report stated that, according to the complaint, such practices impose an “exorbitant financial burden” on families because privately published books are significantly more expensive than subsidised NCERT textbooks, which are kept affordable.
