J&K Minister Warns Private Schools Over Costly Book Sets
J&K Education Minister Shameema Firdous says an order on Rs 10,000 private school book sets is coming soon, as government schools get free books and uniforms.
Barely two weeks after taking oath on October 27, Jammu and Kashmir's new Education Minister has picked a fight that parents across the Union Territory will follow closely: the price of a private school book set.
Speaking to media persons on Monday, Shameema Firdous said that very expensive books are being sold in private institutions and that those institutions should reconsider. "We will do something about it. The book sets they have kept for Rs 10,000, Rs 6,000, Rs 7,000, we are going to pass an order very soon on that," she said. She added that she will call a meeting with the Education Director and other officials, and that everything should happen under discipline.
The warning came alongside a promise for the government system. Firdous said children in government schools will get free textbooks and uniforms so that they can stand at the same level as private school students, and that this will draw more people towards government schools. "Why do we give more to private schools? Our children have to work hard; they have to be brought to the same level as private school children," she said. The Books Day initiative, she said, has been started so that children and parents do not face difficulty, as many cannot afford books.
