Soon, you won’t have to send your child to a school recommended by your neighbour. The Central Board of Secondary Education plans to rate its affiliate schools to make it easier for you to choose the best for your child.
The schools will be graded A+, A, B+ and B on key areas such as infrastructure, playground, teacher-student ratio, quality of teachers and use of technology in teaching.
“The grading will be a part of the accreditation process that schools have to go through for seeking affiliation,” CBSE chairman Vineet Joshi told Hindustan Times. He added it would happen “very soon”.
The board is working on issues like who will do the grading, how independent will be that body, what exactly will be the criterion and will the grading be reviewed and changed periodically.
The schools will have to option to be rated for their strength.
A school good in sports, for instance, could seek rating of its infrastructure and ability to deliver on their declared area of specialisation.
“The grading is going to be periodic,” said Springdales principal Ameeta M. Wattal, who is a member of the committee on education reforms.
{{/usCountry}}“The grading is going to be periodic,” said Springdales principal Ameeta M. Wattal, who is a member of the committee on education reforms.
{{/usCountry}}“It will ensure schools maintain minimum standards of quality.”
And parents? “Private schools charge a lot,” said parent Aparna Mithuraj. “It is good if they are made accountable to someone. It is a win-win situation for parents.”
CBSE has 10,000 affiliated schools here and abroad. Human resource development minister Kapil Sibal had announced the accreditation and ranking of schools in his 100-days plan.
CBSE is now acting on it; other boards may follow.