CBSE directs schools NOT to start academic year before April 1

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) issued a circular yesterday, March 17, urging all its affiliated schools to refrain from starting the academic year before April 1. The school heads have been strictly asked to follow the schedule for the academic year, which is, from April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024.

“The Principals and Heads of Institutions of the schools affiliated with the Board are, therefore, advised to refrain from beginning academic sessions before the year and strictly follow Academic Session from 1st April to 31st March,” the notice says. The board has noted that schools started their sessions early to adjust the coursework.

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“It has been noticed that some of the affiliated schools have started their academic session quite early in the year. Attempting to complete an entire year’s worth of coursework in a reduced timeframe poses risks for students who may get overwhelmed and struggle to keep up with the pace of learning, leading to anxiety and burnout,” the notice reads.

The board further highlighted that students might lose out on extracurricular activities if the academic sessions started early. CBSE mentioned in the notice that activities such as life skills, value education, health and physical education, work education and community service are as important as education.

The notice has been sent to the respective authorities in all the states. For accessing the notice, the official CBSE website can be visited: cbse.gov.in.