Nagpur: Now the parents whose wards are studying in CBSE can look forward to get rid of whims of schools forcing them to buy books from their counters. Starting next academic session, CBSE school students will have the option to have their textbooks delivered right at their doorstep thanks to NCERT’s latest initiative. The national body for preparing school curriculum and publishing books has launched a new website where all stakeholders can select books, pay online and get the books delivered to their homes.
The portal, www.ncertbooks.ncert.gov.in launched on Wednesday evening in Delhi by Union minister of state for HRD Upendra Kushwaha, aims to “better distribution of textbooks across the country” and to also address “apprehensions on part of schools and parents regarding unavailability of NCERT books”.
A media statement from NCERT mentioned that as of now only schools and vendors can register online and start placing the orders. Hemant Kumar, a NCERT official said, “Very soon the portal will also be opened to individual buyers. They can place their orders by logging onto the portal and books will be delivered at their doorsteps with nominal postal charges. Buyers can also track the status of their orders.”
The online platform will complement NCERT’s other point of sales. “Textbooks will also continue to be sold at the retail sales counters at Delhi, Regional Institutes of Education (RIE) Ajmer, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Shillong and Mysuru and its Regional Production-cum-Distribution Centres (RPDC) in Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Guwahati and Bengaluru,” said Kumar.
NCERT’s website will function just like an online shopping portal which offers complete ease to the user. Kumar said, “There will be an integrated payment gateway and an easy-to-use interface. We will slowly build up our systems to handle more load.”
NCERT textbooks can also be downloaded free of cost from NCERT’s website. A digital version of NCERT’s textbook is available by logging onto ‘epathshala’ or through mobile applications. Kumar said, ” NCERT also gives copyrights to different states/union territories for printing of its textbooks.”
Till September 8, schools can log in using their respective board’s affiliation number and other details. Orders for 2018-19 academic session can be placed till then and schools don’t have to pay immediately. Kumar said, “Payment can be made just before the supply. Schools will also have the option of directly procuring textbooks from their nearest vendors or NCERT centres.”
One of the biggest benefits of NCERT books going online will be the ease in implementing the guidelines given by CBSE regarding textbooks. The central board had directed schools to use NCERT textbooks to put a stop to what it called ‘commercialization’ at schools.
Many schools make it mandatory to buy private publishers’ books in-house, often citing unavailability of NCERT books in the market. The online order placing system will help NCERT to monitor the demand and prepare months in advance to meet the requirements.
