On CBSE directive, govt asks schools to form hubs of learning

To raise standards of education, CBSE had in March come out with a policy framework, asking its affiliated schools to “share, cooperate and learn from each other” by forming groups of four-six neighbourhood schools by July.

Acting on a Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) directive, the Delhi government has asked all government and private schools to form “hubs of learning” to ensure collaborative growth and enhance quality.

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To raise standards of education, CBSE had in March come out with a policy framework, asking its affiliated schools to “share, cooperate and learn from each other” by forming groups of four-six neighbourhood schools by July. “The aim of this collaborative partnership between schools is to create an ecosystem for the schools to effectively take up all-round self improvement,” the directorate of education said in a notice last week, asking all heads of government, government-aided and unaided recognised schools to ensure compliance of the CBSE order.

The idea behind the practice is to know, adapt and replicate best practices made by schools in areas of teaching learning, curriculum planning, sharing resources, and classroom practices. “The board is of the view that there is as much to learn from a small school with less resources as from a large school with several resources,” CBSE said in its circular.

Apart from being a shared platform for healthy interdependence among schools, the hubs will share information and expertise on areas such as annual pedagogical plans, learning outcomes and innovative pedagogy.

The schools will make efforts, if needed, for co-teaching in areas of difficulty and organise extra-curricular activities together, including project demonstration and art exhibitions.

The groups will engage in digital collaboration and learn from each other’s digital tools, and promote academic enrichment through teacher exchange programmes, common science fairs, workshops, and trainings.

From among the participating schools, one school will be nominated as Lead Collaborator for two years by CBSE on the basis of board results and other criteria such as pupil-teacher ratio, innovative practices, etc.

The schools must meet at least once a month, keep records and send to the board case studies, e-content, teacher manuals, documentation of innovations.

“Earlier, some schools were sharing resources and expertise on an informal basis. This move will provide institutional support and even teachers will get a boost if their work is recognised by other schools,” said Awadhesh Jha, principal of Sarvodaya Vidyalaya, Sector-8, Rohini.