For the first time, CBSE has decided to regulate the admissions process of its affiliated schools in classes 9 and 11 from the next academic year. The Board has chalked out Standard Operating Procedure through which it will itself process / approve the admission requests. Currently, schools conduct admission to these two classes according to their own rules.
The board has described 11 categories under which admission can be sought in these two classes. These include the transfer of parents, shifting of family, shifting of a hostel, re-admission in other schools after failing in these two classes, better education, long-distance, medical condition, change of education board, among others.
The Board in its communique to all its affiliated schools has instructed them to strictly abide by the SOPs, failing which strict action will be taken against them. This, it said was being done to streamline the working of CBSE schools in the country.
"Many students change school while they are studying in Class IX or XI. Even requests are made at the fag end of the academic session for change of school. Last-minute shifting of school does not provide a conducive educational environment to students, as they are not well acquainted with new classmates and teachers. In order to enable students to study in a conducive environment, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) have been developed," read the communique.
Evokes mixed response:
The new format for classes 9 and 11 admission, is akin to the admission process that is followed for new admission for class 10 and 12 where approval was sought from CBSE before absorbing any new student, has evoked a mixed response from school principals, some of whom have lauded the process of document verification while others have called the process tedious.
Anjali Razdan, educational director of Kairos Global School in Gachibowli says," This is a move towards granting more autonomy to schools. It will also make the schools more accountable and responsible towards its students, knowing that if any child wants to shift they will need to give results for their last five years of Board' examination," she said.
Some principals, however, found this clause problematic. It states that if a student wants to take admission in any of these two classes in another school citing "better education" as the reason, the results of last five years of both the schools -- in which the student is currently studying as well as the one where he is seeking admission is -- along with the application. In addition, qualification and teaching experience of the staff members of both the schools are also to be given.
"Why would a school give such details to a student who is leaving the school? Also, admission is an internal matter, why should the Board concern itself with it. It's also incomprehensible how they intend to correlate results with the qualification of results," said a private school principal, requesting anonymity.
Kasturi Chatterjee, principal of Gitanjali Davshashray, Secunderabad too felt the process was too long drawn and tedious. "By the time all documents are scrutinised and approved by CBSE student will have lost considerable time. If a school admits the child but the application gets rejected then he won't have anywhere to go. Such a process was alright for class 10 and 12 but for not for 9 and 11," she said.
The board has also directed the schools to fix the deadline for admissions in these classes and also not to give admissions to any student coming from unaffiliated school in these classes.
