Schools
School books, uniforms and stationery
Where to buy, what the rules say in Delhi, Haryana and UP, and what to do if a school insists you buy from its shop.
Three things are true almost everywhere in NCR. The school gives you a list. The school, or a book depot it works with, offers to sell you the whole set. And you are allowed to say no and buy it elsewhere.
What the rules say
Delhi, Haryana and UP each have their own rule, and they say much the same thing: the school can recommend, but it can’t force you to buy from one shop, and it can’t keep changing the uniform.
Delhi
Under the Delhi Directorate of Education order, 1 April 2026:
Any shop will do
A private school in Delhi can't make you buy books, uniform or stationery from one vendor, its own counter included. If the same book is cheaper down the road, buy it there.
SourceThe list comes first
Before the session starts, the school has to put the class-wise book list and the uniform details on its website and notice board, with the names and numbers of at least five nearby shops that stock them.
SourceNothing extra
Only books from the prescribed curriculum. A school can't push "recommended" extras on you.
SourceThree years per uniform
Once a uniform is fixed, its colour and design can't change for at least three years.
SourceEWS and DG seats
Children admitted on EWS, DG or CWSN seats get books and writing material free. Since a Delhi High Court ruling in January 2026, the uniform can come as money paid to the family instead of the uniform itself.
SourceGurgaon and Faridabad (Haryana)
Under the Haryana School Education Rules, 2003, Rule 158:
Any shop will do
No school in Haryana can make a child buy books, workbooks, stationery, shoes, socks or uniform only from a shop it recommends.
SourceFive years per uniform
A school can't change its uniform before five academic years have passed.
SourceReal fines
The divisional Fee and Fund Regulatory Committee can fine a school up to ₹30,000, ₹50,000 or ₹1 lakh (primary, middle, senior) for a first breach, double that for a second, and recommend taking away its recognition after a third.
SourceNoida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad (UP)
Under the UP Self-Financed Independent Schools (Fee Regulation) Act, 2018:
Any shop will do
A private school in Noida, Greater Noida or Ghaziabad can't make a student buy books, shoes, socks or uniform from a particular shop.
SourceFive years per uniform
The uniform can't change within five academic years unless the district fee committee approves it first.
SourceFines
The District Fee Regulatory Committee can fine a school up to ₹1 lakh for a first breach and ₹5 lakh for a second.
SourceCBSE schools, wherever they are
Schools aren't shops
CBSE says affiliated schools must not push parents to buy books, notebooks, uniforms, shoes or bags on campus or from chosen vendors.
SourceBuy genuine NCERT books
Fake NCERT books turn up in NCR every season. In November 2025 CBSE asked schools to tell parents to buy only from NCERT's own outlets, vendors on the NCERT website, or NCERT's Amazon store.
SourceGenuine NCERT books
Fake NCERT books are sold across NCR every season, often at a small discount: there have been raids in Gurgaon, Faridabad, Ballabgarh and Ghaziabad. Look for the NCERT watermark, check the printing is clean, and take a bill.
- NCERT Publication Division. NCERT Campus, Sri Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi 110016. Phone 011-26562708. Source
- NCERT's online book portal. ncertbooks.ncert.gov.in, paid in advance. Source
- Free PDFs. Every NCERT textbook is free to read on ePathshala and ncert.nic.in, handy while the printed copy is on its way. Source
- Spotted a fake?. Email pd.ncert@nic.in. Source
When to buy
The rush runs from late March to mid-April, just before the session starts. Book lists usually come out in March. If you can, get the list early and go on a weekday.
Second-hand books
Most used books change hands on the school WhatsApp group: ask the parents of the class above. Parents’ associations in Ghaziabad and Noida have run free exchange fairs in the last week of March.
Your city
Run a book, uniform or stationery shop?
Tell us about it. We phone every shop before it goes on a city page, and we only say which schools you supply if those schools list you themselves.