NEW DELHI: In a significant move to address overcrowding in classrooms and promote holistic education, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has revised its affiliation bye-laws to cap the number of sections a school can run, strictly based on the built-up carpet area of the school building. The changes, notified in a circular dated July 31, will be applicable to all existing and newly affiliated schools under the Board.
As per the revised norms, the number of sections a school can operate from Bal Vatika to Class XII will now depend entirely on its total built-up area. For instance, a school with 4,000 sqm can run a maximum of 33 sections, while one with 6,200 sqm is allowed up to 48 sections.
Many schools, it noted, currently run beyond their capacity, often forcing students to spend long hours in cramped classrooms with limited access to open spaces and extracurricular facilities—conditions contrary to the vision of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
At the senior secondary level, the number of sections for Classes XI and XII will be limited to one-fourteenth of the total number of sections from Bal Vatika to Class X, rounded up to the next even number, with equal distribution between the two classes. Moreover, schools are now required to maintain an equal number of sections in Classes IX and X, and similarly in XI and XII.
CBSE has also updated its infrastructure requirements, including mandatory laboratories, indoor game rooms, and other activity rooms, beyond every 48 sections, infirmaries, libraries, and multipurpose halls.
Importantly, all nursery and elementary sections must operate in buildings that comply with fire safety norms and structural codes.