HYDERABAD: In an overhaul of its norms for granting affiliation to schools, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has decided to limit itself to academic quality monitoring and leave the onus of the infrastructure audit to states themselves. The inspection of schools will now be “outcome-based, and more academic and quality oriented” while the affiliation process will be “online, integrated and instantaneous communication”, a move that has evoked a mixed response from different stakeholders: schools, parents, academicians and state education department.
With CBSE schools now coming under the ambit of local governments, some experts feel that this gives an opportunity for schools to circumvent the stringent guidelines. “It is easier to manage local body officials. It could lead to corruption but at the process of granting affiliation will speed up as applications will be disposed within the academic year,” said Vasireddy Amarnath, principal, Slate the School.
In the revised bylaws, the CBSE has reiterated that schools have also to disclose their fees and other details on their websites, failure of which can result in schools losing their affiliation. The board has said that the changes in the bylaws were brought about to “ensure a simplified system, prevent duplication of process, and ensure speedy, transparent and hassle-free procedures, and ease of doing business with CBSE.”
Hyderabad Students’ Parents Association (HSPA) agrees that if anything the new regulation of roping in the local government will only improve the conditions. “There has been a lot of reluctance from the district-level education department officials to deal with issues pertaining to CBSE schools. The regulatory vacuum in which such schools have been functioning now has been addressed with schools falling under the govt,” said Ashish Naredi, a member of HSPA.
Some, however, criticised the decision. N Narayana, an educational analyst, said it was a move to escape from responsibility. “It is ridiculous that the State govt gets a say in the affiliation of CBSE schools,” he said.