For more transparency, CBSE to rate its schools

Schools that dupe students and parents or sidestep the law using the shroud of opacity may soon be exposed - through its rating in a mandatory accreditation regime finalised by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

Schools that dupe students and parents or sidestep the law using the shroud of opacity may soon be exposed - through its rating in a mandatory accreditation regime finalised by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

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Over 10,000 schools affiliated to the CBSE, India’s largest school Board will have to get themselves accredited starting later this year, under amendments to the Board’s affiliation bye laws.

The accreditation regime will kick off with a pilot project on 40 schools from across India — five from each of the eight zones that the CBSE caters to — top Board sources told HT.

The accreditation regime will check schools not just for the quality of their infrastructure - but also for the levels of transparency the institution observes in its admission and management, sources said.

The move coincides with another landmark plan which the CBSE will launch later this year — providing examination takers certificated through an online, dematerialized academic depository. The CBSE plans to launch the depository plan with the results of the first-ever Central Teacher Eligibility Test.

"There is a desperate need to inject transparency into the schooling system, to save parents and students from any harassment," a senior CBSE official said.

Under the accreditation regime, experts rating the school will - in addition to checking academic results, infrastructure and teacher qualifications - seek feedback from parents, neighbourhood residents and other stakeholders.