Ahmedabad: CBSE schools to follow FRC directives

AHMEDABAD: State-based schools affiliated with Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will have to follow the directives of Fee Regulatory Committee (FRC) set up by the state government after the ministry of human resource development (MHRD) on Friday announced revised bylaws.



According to experts, Gujarat has over 350 schools offering CBSE board to the students. The recent FRC directives were provisional in nature when it came to CBSE schools. The MHRD officials had mentioned in New Delhi that the schools will have to submit two documents at the time of applying for application — a document vetted by the head of district education administration validating all aspects such as building safety, sanitation, land ownership, among other issues, and another a self-affidavit where the school is to certify adherence to fee norms, infrastructure norms and so on.

Manan Choksi, president of the city-based Association of Progressive Schools, said that majority of the schools have already been covered in FRC and the schools are adhering to the rules. “Another impact of the change will be on registration of new schools. The process has been simplified but now schools will also require state administration’s consent,” he said.

Experts said that the rules pertaining to inspection will apply to new schools whereas the regulations in context of fees and making process online will be uniform for all schools. Sources however said the schools may fear loss of autonomy and more bureaucratic interference.

The new affiliation bylaws also lay stress on mandatory teacher training. According to the press release by MHRD, even the principals and vice-principals of the schools will have to undergo two days of mandatory training each year. A special category of innovative schools has been added to include specialized schools that are implementing innovative ideas in skill development, sports, arts, science, etc.