A case for knowledge
The
social cause will be best served if choices and action are based on facts and
clear perspective instead of media-inspired populism, says Sreetilak Sambhanda
A
widely misinterpreted CBSE circular of February 2017 has made it mandatory
for private schools to teach books published by the NCERT instead of choosing
from a wide range of books by private publishers. What the CBSE meant was that
schools should be more socially responsible and stop retailing books and
peripheral school items for profit. The CBSE would make books available in
necessary quantities to meet all kinds of demands. Secondly, school
administrations must be accountable for the quality of education: that they
should not misuse the choice available to them to prescribe low-quality books
or any regressive content.
However,
the populist media packaged the story differently muddling it with a social
cause, and publishing is too small an industry to afford large-scale perception
management.
Educational
book publishers are as competitive an industry as any other. The products of
the best publishers are not just printed books, but include software,
multimedia content, web support, teaching aids and teacher training programmes.
These are developed with the help of high-level academic expertise and skilled
editorial and technological talent. The schools for their part seem to want
more of these in their pursuit of academic excellence. Competition was helping
both the seekers and providers of quality - until the CBSE circular happened!
The
NCERT is well capable of meeting the volume of the demand for printed books,
which certainly doesn’t mean it fulfils the market demand for all knowledge
products, which in this technological era has spread far beyond print. If the
current move goes ahead as projected, you may better forget the promised world
of connected, real-time, experiential education, which private publishers have
pioneered, and go back to reading books as ever.
As
for the price factor, the average textbook by a private publisher, including
the multimedia, software and web components, is no higher than that of a pizza
or a multiplex movie ticket. The book lasts a year, mind you. It is also a
question of priority: would knowledge products figure below, above or at par
with consumer items?
According
to the Nielsen book market report 2015, there are 5,018 publishers serving the
K-12 segment. This industry sub-sector accounts for the livelihood of lakhs of
people. This market is projected to grow at 19.6 per cent by 2019-20 and the
total market value is estimated to Rs 541.9 billion. Covert or overt
nationalisation of this industry therefore flies in the face of both
deregulation economics and free market philosophy.
Indian
school publishers export books to Sri Lanka, Maldives, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan,
Bangladesh, Malaysia, Thailand and even Nigeria. Restrictions on the industry
would lead to weakening such exports and result in a sad chapter in the
Make-in-India story.
The
CBSE is entirely right to enforce the educational purpose of schools and
restrict commercial tendencies for a social good. Unscrupulous elements in the
publishing world should be reined in as well. However, blanket bans like the
one that is currently thought to be taking shape can have a retarding effect on
the education system. Who would want to sink a ship to drown the rats aboard?
The
many products and services other than books surrounding the educational system
like tuition, coaching, online courses, digital education packs, etc, are
allowed to thrive unimpeded in the true spirit of the market, while the
publishing industry is bracketed with the flaws in the system and chosen to be penalized.
This has more to do with negative public perceptions of the publishing world.
Today’s publishing house has evolved from the traditional role of producing and
selling books to innovating in knowledge delivery methods and adapting to global
standards. Most are powered by young and energetic talent not different from
those in today’s unconventional start-ups.
The
social cause will be best served if choices and action are based on facts and
clear perspective instead of media-inspired populism.
Regards
Pralhad Jadhav
Senior Manager @
Knowledge Repository
Khaitan
& Co
Upcoming Event | MANLIBNET 17th
Annual International Conference on 15-16 September 2017 at Jaipuria, Noida,
India
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