The Dimapur Naga Students’ Union has accused schools in Dimapur of education profiteering through forced textbook and uniform purchases at inflated prices.
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DIMAPUR — The Dimapur Naga Students’ Union (DNSU) on Monday flagged the growing “commercialisation of education”, accusing several schools in the district of forcing parents to buy textbooks and uniforms exclusively from institutions at inflated prices.
In a statement, the DNSU asserted that the practice unfairly restricts parents’ freedom to purchase from vendors of their choice and places an excessive financial burden on families, particularly those from economically weaker sections.
Such impositions, it warned, risk turning education into a privilege for the affluent rather than a fundamental right.
The union made it clear that no educational institution has the authority to mandate purchases from school-designated sellers and demanded an immediate end to what it described as profiteering.
It also criticised the frequent change of textbooks every academic year, which ‘prevents students from using second-hand or hand-me-down books’—an option that once helped many families manage costs.
Calling the practice contrary to the spirit of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act of 2009, the DNSU reiterated that compulsory annual purchases and inflated pricing amount to commercial exploitation.
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It further cited Article 21 of the Constitution, stating that forcing parents into costly and restrictive choices undermines the right to live with dignity.
The union also appealed to schools to avoid frequent changes in uniforms or the introduction of new patterns without genuine necessity.
Constant alterations, it said, compel parents to buy new uniforms—often from select suppliers—at high prices year after year.
Describing the trend as a “loss of values” within the education system, the DNSU urged school managements to introspect and realign with the core purpose of education, grounded in equity rather than profit.
While reaffirming its commitment to safeguarding student welfare, the union stressed that meaningful change would require active cooperation from parents.
It reminded that previous efforts to address the issue had often faltered due to lack of collective support, despite widespread private complaints.