Now, school books go online in Chennai

Chennai: Parents no longer have to sweat it out in queues at schools in search of books, uniforms and other accessories. A few schools have tied up with online platforms and all requirements can now be had at the click of a button.

"Schools having 1,000 or more students on their rolls can now avoid queues. We have set up an online account, where parents can register in their child's name and get school supplies delivered to their doorstep without having to carry heavy books home," said Vandhana Nagesh, who has been providing this facility for Bengaluru and Chennai-based schools for more than four years.

Payment is through a secure gateway and is remitted to schools after deducting service charges, said Arsad S, another provider. In case of a few platforms, which sell books and other accessories, parents need to browse to select what they want.

S Vaidyasubramaniam, dean (planning and development) of Thanjavur-based SASTRA University, said it was logistically convenient to buy books online. "We can beat the queue and this also ensures a trip to the school doesn't eat into kids' vacation time or our schedule. Summer stays uninterrupted," said Vaidyasubramaniam, whose two children are students at PSBB School in KK Nagar.

"We don't impose things on parents. It's up to them to buy books via the school or through private sources," said Sheela Rajendra, correspondent of PSBB Group of Schools which is using an online facility. A parent of a student of Sri Sankara Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Thiruvanmiyur said schoolbooks delivered at home would be welcome. A few school heads, however, were not very optimistic of the service.

"We have had many dealers approaching us then and now. But parents have voiced concerns about safety, information about their wards information staying confidential and so on. Also, not all parents are tech-savvy," said Bhavanishankar Subramanian, principal of Lalaji Memorial Omega International School in Pallavaram.

Some parents prefer coming to school to inspect the books . "The paranoia that we might give them the wrong books still exists," he said.


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