CBSE snubs state interference

Thiruvananthapuram: The CBSE is cut up with the state government for interfering in the issues of CBSE schools.

CBSE Thiruvananthapuram regional officer Tarun Kumar has written a  letter to all the 14 district deputy directors of education department asking them  not to harass the schools.

The general education department had earlier asked nearly 1,800 schools, including affiliated ones,  to close down for want of CBSE or department recognition.

Education Minister C. Raveendranath told the Assembly on Wednesday  that the decision was taken on the direction of  the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights. Notices were  issued to 1,585 schools, he said in reply to an adjournment notice on the  move to close down unaided schools.

Mr Tarun Kumar told Deccan Chronicle that he had issued the letter  as  the functioning of the schools was  being affected by the interference by the state government.

The letter  pointed out that some of the AEOs and DEOs across the state have been issuing letters to CBSE-affiliated schools asking them to shift students from class I to  VIII to nearby government and aided schools and not to admit any more students in their classes on the ground that   these schools don’t have permission to run the classes.  The officials had  said that the  permission granted by the CBSE was  only for classes IX to XII. This had created panic among  parents and children, the letter pointed out.

The CBSE has a process of issuing composite affiliation, including approval for  running classes from standard I to X for schools affiliated up to X and from I to  XII for schools affiliated up to XII level, said the letter.

The district-wise list of CBSE-approved and affiliated schools  authorised by the CBSE to run classes up to  10th or 12th was also included with the letter.

The CBSE is an autonomous body working under the aegis of the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development. It is the leading educational board in the country and has a robust system of school inspection.  Schools are affiliated after due process looking into the infrastructure and facilities available as prescribed in the affiliation bylaws of the CBSE, the letter said.

 The CBSE has affiliated approximately 1,350 institutions in Kerala and granted them affiliation for running classes  up to XII. They are   imparting quality education  and thereby serving society, the letter added.

Earlier, the Kerala CBSE School Managements Association had written a letter to  Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan requesting him to keep in abeyance all such proceedings and redress the grievances of the fledgling schools.

Association general secretary Ms Indira Rajan told Deccan Chronicle that the regional office of the CBSE intervened  after the association took up the issue with the CBSE. The government was coercing the CBSE schools as stated by the regional officer in his letter, said Ms Rajan.

The association had taken up the matter with  Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar and CBSE officials in  Delhi.

Earlier this month,  the Supreme Court had stayed the circular issued by the state government on October 7, 2011 implementing various guidelines for operating CBSE schools.  The court  prevented the state government from taking  any action against these schools till  it   disposed of the case.

The  government circular had insisted that CBSE schools should have three acres of land, out  of which at least two acres should  be in the actual location of  school and that   they  should compulsorily  teach Malayalam, have a minimum strength of 300 students  and enroll  students in Aadhaar.