UP Board textbooks to remain cheaper than NCERT, reach districts by Jan end, ETEducation
Prayagraj: Despite a marginal increase in printing costs, textbooks published by the Uttar Pradesh Secondary Education Board (UP Board) for the academic session 2026-27 will remain cheaper than NCERT books, offering major relief to students and parents. The board issued the work order for publication, and officials said the books will reach all 75 districts by the end of this month.
The move is set to benefit over 1 crore students in classes 9 to 12 studying in more than 29,000 schools affiliated with the UP Board across the state. For the first time in 9 years, students from middle and lower-middle-income families will receive authorised textbooks at affordable prices well in time, addressing a long-standing concern.
In previous years, textbooks reached the market only by July, even though the academic session begins on April 1. As a result, within weeks of the session starting, students were often compelled to purchase unauthorised and substantially costlier books under pressure. Keeping this issue in mind, the board initiated the publication process much earlier this year.
To improve availability at the district level, the board announced a 20% commission for retail booksellers on the sale of UP Board-published NCERT-based textbooks. Officials said the incentive would encourage retailers to stock and sell the books. In earlier years, publishers printed books, but distribution suffered due to low margins, forcing students to rely on private publications. This year, publishers were made responsible for ensuring supply to all 75 districts.
The board issued work orders for 70 textbooks covering 36 subjects based on the NCERT syllabus, along with 12 textbooks in Hindi, Sanskrit and Urdu.
According to the pricing structure, the complete set of 12 books for Class 9 will be available for Rs 485 while the 11-book set for Class 10 will cost Rs 474.
Students opting for Urdu in Class 10 will pay Rs 482. For Class 11 science stream students, the complete set will cost Rs 458, while Class 12 science students with mathematics will receive the full set for Rs 439.
Source link
