The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has announced a 20% reduction in the prices of textbooks for classes 9 to 12, starting from the upcoming academic year.
NCERT Director Dinesh Prasad Saklani announced at an event on Monday. Saklani stated that this is the first time the prices of textbooks have been substantially reduced.
“This year, NCERT has brought in a lot of efficiency in paper procurement and also onboarded printers with the latest printing machines. NCERT has decided to pass on this benefit to the students of the country,” Saklani said.
He added, “All textbooks of grades 9-12 for the next academic year shall be retailed by NCERT at 20 percent lower price than the existing price. This is unprecedented in the history of NCERT.”
Textbooks for grades 1-8 will continue to be sold at Rs 65 per copy.
The announcement was made during the Bhumi Pujan for the construction of the auditorium at the NCERT Headquarters. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan presided over the event, where an MoU was also signed between NCERT and Flipkart to increase the availability of NCERT textbooks.
Each year, NCERT prints around 4-5 crore textbooks in approximately 300 titles. Recently, NCERT has expanded its reach by partnering with e-commerce platforms, including Amazon, to facilitate nationwide access to genuine textbooks.
