In a move to aid the students of the country, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), on Monday, announced a 20 per cent cut in its textbook prices for classes 9 to 12 with effect from the upcoming academic year.
“This is the first time that the price of textbooks has been significantly reduced,” NCERT Director Dinesh Prasad Saklani stated during the ‘Bhumi Pujan’ for the construction of an auditorium at NCERT Headquarters here.
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The event was presided over by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Speaking at the occasion, Saklani said this year, the NCERT has brought in a lot of efficiency in paper procurement as also onboarded printers with the latest printing machines. “NCERT has decided to pass on this benefit to the students of the country,” he said.
“All textbooks of grades 9-12 for the next academic year will be retailed by the NCERT at 20 percent lower price than the existing price. This is unprecedented in the history of NCERT,” Saklani added.
Meanwhile, the textbooks for grades 1-8 will continue to be retailed at Rs 65 per copy.
A MoU was signed between the NCERT and Flipkart to widen the reach of NCERT textbooks during the event.
Every year, the NCERT prints around 4-5 crore textbooks in around 300 titles. It has recently expanded its reach through partnerships with e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, further facilitating nationwide access to genuine textbooks.