Is buying books through the school portal mandatory?

In my experience, the school makes it very difficult if you don't buy from the portal. Last year, I tried buying from a local vendor to save some money, but the teacher kept pointing out that my daughter’s edition was slightly different. It’s not worth the constant follow-ups, so I just pay the portal charges now to keep things smooth.

My advice: don't risk it. I tried skipping the school portal once for my son's class, and we ended up with the wrong curriculum supplement. The school refused to provide the digital access code because it only comes with the portal-bought bundle.

Has anyone noticed that the portal books cost nearly 30% more than the market rate? I’m planning to write a mail to the principal asking for an opt-out. Does anyone have a draft for this?

If you buy from outside, make sure you get the exact publisher edition. Some schools customize the content, so even if the title is the same, the inside pages might be different. I’ve seen parents get into trouble during mid-term exams because of this.

It is technically not mandatory, but schools have a tie-up with the vendor. Just check the ISBN numbers carefully if you plan to buy outside. If the books match exactly, the school can't really do anything, but they might make a fuss about the 'school logo' being missing on the notebooks.