Admission queues at BMC's ICSE, CBSE schools

MUMBAI: In a rare instance for civic schools, parents have been queuing up at the two civic schools affiliated to CBSE and ICSE to enrol their children for the next academic year. Until Tuesday, the CBSE-affiliated civic school in Jogeshwari and the ICSE-affiliated civic school in Mahim had received 719 and 129 admission forms, respectively. The two schools are accepting applications for up to class VI till March 12.
In September 2019, the BMC had decided to affiliate one of its school to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and another to the Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) board on a pilot basis to woo students and curb dropouts. In January 2020, the civic education committee gave its nod to the proposal and Woollen Mill Municipal School was selected to be affiliated to ICSE and the Poonam Nagar School to CBSE.
Parents visiting the school for admissions sit through a counselling session about the board and get a chance to see the facilities as well. The BMC has already furnished a few classrooms at the schools, including a functional digital classroom, a decorated music room and a colourful library. "Most of the parents haven't even heard about the two boards so we are explaining to them what would be on offer. The parents are keen on seeking admission for their children after seeing the facilities," said Jyoti Vakharia, a teacher at the ICSE-affiliated civic school. With an experience of teaching English at a civic school for over 11 years, Vakharia was selected for the school after a test and interview.
The BMC is accepting applications online as well, but most parents prefer to come to school to fill up the forms. "I have studied in this school, but then the quality of the education had dropped over the years. So I send my elder daughter to an aided school nearby. Now, my younger daughter will start school and seeing this newly painted building I decided to check it out," said Smita Pawar, who was visiting the ICSE school to enrol her child.
Officials said the response has been overwhelming and they are planning to hold more sessions to educate parents. "We are holding an info session with expert principals from the boards to acquaint parents about what they can expect from these schools," said Mahesh Palkar, BMC education officer.
The civic body plans to start one division of 40 students each for up to class II for the next academic year. The BMC will also start sessions for up to class VI if they receive at least 10 applications for each class.