PRAYAGRAJ, July 5 -- Students of Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad (UPMSP), commonly known as UP Board, will have to pay significantly more for their textbooks this academic session, with prices rising by up to eight times compared to previous years. The increase follows a decision by the board to raise commissions for publishers and retailers to bring them on par with NCERT standards, claim officials of the state secondary education department. This is the first major revision in textbook pricing since the UP Board introduced NCERT-based syllabi in 2018. While the price hike may seem steep, board officials point out that UP Board books still remain more affordable than NCERT books, offering considerable savings to students in the long run. When contacted, Uttar Pradesh secondary education minister Gulab Devi said she was aware of the issue but would not like to comment further on it at present. One of the most striking examples is the Class 9 English workbook, which earlier cost just Rs.9 and will now retail for Rs.84-an increase of Rs.75, marking more than an eight-fold rise. Similarly, the Class 12 sociology books, earlier priced at Rs.19 for the set, will now cost Rs.167. Other subjects such as chemistry and English have also seen substantial increases in price. The revision aims to address a long-standing issue-lack of interest among publishers and booksellers due to low profit margins. In the past, the extremely low prices made it financially unviable for publishers to print the books and for retailers to stock them. This led to shortages, forcing many students to turn to expensive, unauthorised books from private publishers, share board officials. With improved margins, publishers are now more willing to print, and retailers are expected to stock the books in greater numbers. This move is likely to benefit over 1 crore students studying in more than 28,000 UP Board-affiliated schools from Classes 9 to 12 across the state. Interestingly, while several books have become costlier, the prices of some titles have actually gone down. For instance, the Class 12 physics Part 1 book, which was earlier Rs.64, will now be sold for Rs.43. The introductory psychology textbook for Class 11 has dropped from Rs.28 to Rs.10 and geography titles have also seen price reductions. Even after the hike, UP Board books remain significantly cheaper than NCERT publications. The Class 9 Mathematics book, for example, is priced at Rs.135 by NCERT, whereas the UP Board will offer it at just Rs.59. The Class 12 physics parts 1 and 2 from NCERT cost Rs.170 and Rs.140 respectively, while their UP Board versions will be available for Rs.43 and Rs.34. NCERT books are expected to arrive in markets by next week, while the new UP Board books are being gradually stocked....