Srinagar, Jan 3: In a latest development, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has relaxed the rules for the private schools to seek affiliation from the Board.
The move comes amid the complaints against the JK Board of School Education (JKBOSE) affiliated private schools for prescribing textbooks of the private publishers in violation of the government orders to adopt JKBOSE textbooks for students of all classes. Over the last few months, the debate over usage of textbooks in private schools hit the headlines as the private schools were prescribing textbooks of the private publishers following the commencement of the new academic session in schools.
However, the order is to be implemented by the private schools affiliated with JKBOSE while the other schools affiliated with CBSE and other Boards for curriculum are not bound to follow the JKBOSE order.
Amid this, scores of the schools were applying for switching their affiliations with other boards. Over the past years, the private schools were supposed to obtain several NoCs from the J&K School Education Department (SED) due to which files of the scores of the schools were awaiting the permission. However, an official told Greater Kashmir that recently the CBSE has relaxed a few rules for the private schools to obtain permission for switching affiliations. “Earlier schools were bound to get NoC from the J&K school education department to apply for CBSE affiliation but now the rule has been relaxed. The schools can now directly apply for CBSE affiliation without obtaining NOC from SED,” an official told Greater Kashmir.
He said that as per the new rules, CBSE will directly seek objections from SED for granting affiliation to the private school. “The department has to reply to CBSE within one month otherwise it will be treated as the J&K government has no objection in it,” the official said. It may be recalled that a high level team of officers from Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL) Ministry of Education (MoE) during their visit to Kashmir in September last year had suggested setting up a regional office of CBSE in J&K. Director NCERT, Dinesh Prasad Saklani and Chairperson CBSE, Rahul Singh were also part of the delegation in Kashmir.
As per the official document, the CBSE last year made amendments in affiliation Bye-Laws with regard to permit schools to apply for affiliation with or without NOC from the concerned government. “In case the school applies for the affiliation without NOC, then the Board shall write to the concerned State government to obtain their comments, if any, on the application of the school for the affiliation with the Board,” an official document of CBSE reads. It reads that the department may furnish its comments regarding the said application, if any, at the link provided in the letter. “In case no comments are received within 30 days, a reminder will be sent to the concerned State Education Department to raise their objection, if, any, within 15 days, failing which, it shall be deemed that the State government does not have any objection on the grant of affiliation to the school by the Boar,” the official document reads.
“The application of the school will be considered for grant of affiliation, if it otherwise fulfills the conditions for grant of the affiliation as per the affiliation Bye-Laws-2018 of the Board,” the document reads.