Haldwani, May 3 -- The education department on Saturday issued notices to 17 private schools in Nainital district for allegedly mandating expensive books from private publishers in addition to those prescribed by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), officials said, adding that the schools have also been warned to revise their book lists within 15 days and to stop forcing parents to purchase books from specific shops. Nainital chief education officer Govind Jaiswal said complaints were received that several schools were prescribing additional, high-cost books beyond the NCERT curriculum and pressuring parents to buy them from designated vendors. "In many classes, the number of prescribed books is two to three times higher than required, placing an unnecessary financial burden on parents," he said. Acting on the directives of district magistrate Lalit Mohan Rayal, notices were served to schools across Haldwani, Ramnagar and Bhimtal, he added. According to officials, the schools in Haldwani include Devbhumi Senior Secondary School, Guru Drona Public School, Lakshya International, BLM Academy Senior Secondary School, Aryaman Vikram Birla School, Doon Public School, Wisdom Public School, Inspiration Senior Secondary School, SKM Senior Secondary School, Kingsford Senior Secondary School, Shemford Senior Secondary School (Motahaldu) and Himalaya Vidya Mandir Senior Secondary School. The list also includes Woodbridge School and Mallikarjun School in Bhimtal, and St Joseph Convent School, Great Mission Public School and Garden Valley Public School in Ramnagar. Officials said the allegations were found to be prima facie correct during the inquiry and constituted violations of provisions under the Right to Education Act, 2009, Central Board of Secondary Education guidelines and the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, amounting to unfair trade practices. The notices directed school managements to issue revised book lists within 15 days, limit prescriptions to essential and NCERT-based books, discontinue the practice of mandating purchases from specific shops, publicly display book lists and fee structures on their websites, and refund or adjust any excess charges collected. "The schools have been warned that failure to comply may lead to suspension or cancellation of recognition, fines and other legal action. A joint inspection committee will also conduct checks and submit a report within 15 days to ensure transparency and accountability," Jaiswal said....