By Dr Caroline Mathew
The Andaman & Nicobar Islands, long regarded for their relatively strong schooling ecosystem, are facing a quieter but deeply corrosive crisis: the commercialisation of education. At the centre of this shift lies a practice that parents and educators increasingly describe as a “book-selling mafia”—a system in which textbook choices are driven less by pedagogy and more by profit.
For many families, private schooling continues to carry the promise of discipline, English fluency and better academic outcomes. Yet, behind the perception, the reality is often more uneven. Several institutions operate with modest infrastructure, limited academic resources and little investment in teacher development. The premium they command is sustained as much by branding as by outcomes, leaving parents to pay significantly more for results that are not always superior to government schools.
This contrast becomes sharper when set against institutions such as Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navy Children School and Vivekananda Kendra Vidyalayas, which adhere to NCERT textbooks. These schools combine affordability with consistency, and their performance in board examinations has long challenged the assumption that expensive private publications are necessary for academic success.
The most visible manifestation of commercialisation is in textbook selection. Despite CBSE guidelines favouring NCERT material, several private schools prescribe costlier alternatives. In some cases, the choice of books appears linked not to curriculum needs but to vendor arrangements.
Recent instances cited by parents and educators point to a pattern. Books have reportedly been sold through designated vendors with links to school staff. Titles removed from NCERT lists have resurfaced in school booklists, allegedly to clear unsold inventory. Sudden changes in prescribed books have forced parents to repurchase material within weeks. Even minor alterations in book titles have been used to restrict sourcing options, effectively locking parents into a single supplier.
Pricing disparities are equally stark. NCERT textbooks priced at a few dozen rupees are replaced with private alternatives costing several hundred. Parents in Port Blair report being required to purchase entire bundled sets—often costing ₹5,000 to ₹6,000—while being denied the option of buying individual titles. Long queues at designated vendors and the absence of publicly available booklists further reduce transparency and competition.
The system extends beyond textbooks. Private tuition, once an external supplement, is increasingly being integrated into school schedules through tie-ups with coaching centres. While marketed as convenience for parents, it effectively embeds additional costs into the schooling structure.
Teachers, too, are caught in this ecosystem. Young graduates often accept low-paying roles in private schools to gain experience, enabling institutions to access qualified labour at minimal cost. Over time, this creates a cycle in which both educators and parents bear the burden of a system designed around cost extraction rather than academic value.
A key enabler is the absence of consistent academic oversight. While regulatory authorities focus on infrastructure and recognition norms, areas such as textbook selection, teaching quality and fee structures receive far less scrutiny. Once approvals are granted, many schools operate with considerable autonomy—and limited accountability—in these domains.
The remedies are neither complex nor unprecedented. Enforcing the use of NCERT textbooks, mandating public disclosure of booklists, regulating vendor relationships and conducting regular academic audits would significantly improve transparency. Similarly, separating school education from commercial coaching activities and reforming teacher recruitment practices would address deeper structural distortions.
At stake is more than the cost of education. The gradual normalisation of such practices risks undermining trust in the schooling system itself. When education begins to function as a marketplace rather than a public good, the consequences extend well beyond individual classrooms.
The challenge for the Andaman administration is therefore not simply to curb irregularities, but to restore the principle that schools exist to educate—not to extract.
( Dr Caroline Mathew is a retired principal of Nirmala Sr. Sec. School. )
