Newton Schools

School Consultants in India

You are here: Home / Archives for Blog / School Affiliation

School Affiliation

|

CBSE Affiliation: Verifying affiliation status

cbse-affliation-statusWhat is the process of verifying CBSE affiliation status of a school? When can a school that wants to be affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Examinations announce to its parents that it has been affiliated? These questions have been answered recently in a CBSE circular No 11/2021 dated 13.07.2021.

 

What is the process of verifying CBSE affiliation status of a school?

As per the circular, a link has been provided through which verifying the affiliation status of any school is possible. We have further gone into the link to identify that the verification can be done from here: http://saras.cbse.gov.in/cbse_aff/schdir_Report/userview.aspx
 
As of 19 Aug 2021, the list has 25,835 schools listed that are CBSE affiliated. While the above link shows names of schools that are already affiliated, it is also possible to find out the affiliation status of schools that have not yet been granted affiliation. You can visit the link: http://saras.cbse.gov.in/SARAS/Home/Category_Wise where the application statistics link shows you all the data. The application status of schools is broken down into those that have registered (reg), completed the application (applied), have been affiliated (granted) and those whose applications have not been approved (reject).

 

When can a school that wants to be affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Examinations announce to its parents that it has been affiliated?

A school can only use the term ‘CBSE affiliated’ after the affiliation has been granted and can be verified from the links above. The circular further gives examples of terms that cannot be used when CBSE affiliation is in process (status is Registered, Applied or Rejected). Some of the terms that schools cannot use are: “to be affiliated with CBSE”, “CBSE Pattern”, “likely to be affiliated with CBSE”, “running under the aegis of CBSE”, “CBSE course/Curriculum”, “CBSE registered”. We also believe that the terms ‘Proposed CBSE School’ cannot be used in advertising.
Therefore, it is important to plan and build schools that meet the CBSE affiliation criteria, apply for CBSE affiliation in the first year of operations and complete the formalities at the earliest. The process of CBSE affiliation can take 1 to 2 years if everything is in order.

|

How to get CBSE affiliation

how-to-get-cbse-affliationWe receive many enquiries about how to get CBSE affiliation. This post is too clear some of the doubts that you might have. The process of getting affiliated can be summarised as follows:

  • Go through the CBSE Byelaws and related circulars
  • Understand the land and physical infrastructure requirements
  • Complete the building and infrastructure requirements as per the guidelines
  • Start the school and have the School Principal apply for affiliation online
  • After submission of application with fees and documents, an inspection of the school will be held
  • Once all the processes are complete, affiliation will be granted.

How to apply for CBSE affiliation

The form that needs to be filled in the above link is quite exhaustive. Therefore, CBSE provides a sample filled form that guides you on how to fill the form. This sample form can be downloaded from here but as the link keeps changing, we have uploaded a copy of the guide here: CBSE_sample_form

When to apply for CBSE affiliation

Application needs to be submitted online only. It cannot be submitted at any time, there is a specific time when applications can be submitted. As per circular dated 07 Jan 2021, the timelines for each year are:

  • For fresh affiliation and upgradation of affiliation
    • There are 3 windows each year: (1) From 01 March till 31 March (2) From 01 June till 30 June (3) From 01 September till 30 Sept
  • For extension of existing affiliation
    • From 01 March till 31 May
  • For additional subjects, section increase, change of school name or change in Society / Trust / Company name
    • Open throughout the year
  • For special provisions under chapter 15 of CBSE Affiliation Bylaws 2018
    • Open throughout the year

What is the cost of CBSE Affiliation?

CBSE charges as affiliation fee from schools that want to apply for affiliation. The fee varies for school applying for affiliation in India and abroad. There is also an option to pay a higher fee for on-demand affiliation. The CBSE affiliation fees can be seen here: https://saras.cbse.gov.in/cbse_aff/form/Instruction.aspx

If you would like to download a copy of the fees as on 01 Aug 2021, you can download a PDF version here: CBSE affliation fees

These charges may change over time.

Please Note:

We would like to clarify that we DO NOT provide any services for CBSE affiliation. We work with entrepreneurs and anyone interested in making new schools to design and setup the school in such a way that it meets or exceeds all CBSE norms, thereby making it easy for the school to get affiliation. As we gain knowledge, we share it back to the community in the form of these posts.

|

IB PYP, should a school take it up?

ib-pyp-india-schoolsThe International Baccalaureate (IB) was created to “develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect”. It is a progressive education framework with international education credentials which have earned global recognition within some of the most respected academic institutions around the world. With this spotlight on the Diploma Programme (DP), one often misses noticing its other programmes such as the Primary Years Programme (PYP, for students aged 3 to 12 years) and the Middle Years Programme (MYP, for ages 11 to 16). As these are driven by the same goals as the Diploma Program, together the three form a continuum of progressive education.  For a school, affiliation to these reflects the depth of its alignment to the IB philosophy.

The PYP focuses on the development of the whole child. As with any formative program, the PYP is one that will build the strong personal values and learner profile that will serve the students into their adult lives. A stepping stone for students who pursue further IB programs such as MYP and the DP. The PYP develops the social, emotional, and cognitive well-being of the students. An early attempt to develop independent learners who possess curiosity and inquisitiveness, “imploring them to ask big questions, and search for big answers”.

“The PYP supports students in becoming active, caring, lifelong learners who demonstrate respect for themselves and others and have the capacity to participate in the world around them. The PYP focuses on the development of the whole child and forms the foundation of a child’s approach to learning, therefore thoroughly complements and encourages success of students going on to take the MYP and DP programmes. The PYP is a superb framework for any school that wants to implement an inquiry-based model for young children and includes all of the essential elements to ensure pupils strive both academically and as an individual, through focusing on knowledge, conceptual understanding, skills, attitudes and actions.”

Stefanie Leong
Head of Development and Recognition
Asia Pacific, IBO 

The leadership in the CBSE system (and other boards in India) have also taken great strides towards modernising its framework for an innovative and future ready system. However, they lag behind in the holistic learning experience as they are still weighted towards exam scores. CBSE is the board of choice for future engineering and medical students in the Indian education system. Due to this ecosystem that CBSE supports, students in a CBSE school focus more on memorisation and test taking. This method of learning is not geared to support dynamic thinking, and critical analysis that is required to solve open ended problems of the real world.

Conversely, the PYP is a curriculum framework designed to be holistic, with essential elements — the knowledge, concepts, skills, attitudes, and action that young students need to equip them for successful lives. Schools work with the five elements to construct a rigorous and challenging primary curriculum that focuses on issues that go across subject areas.

The PYP also ascribes importance to projects, presentations, and personal development. As a result, the PYP students hone their presentation, public speakingand communication skills over the years of the programme. The outcome is a confident, inquisitive, articulate learner. Students also develop creative and cognitive thinking skills in the programme that provide a strong foundation for thought and analysis. As a result, students are likely to be open to new ideas and to assess them objectively.

As one lists the benefits of the PYP, one realizes that there is emphasis on the 4 Cs for a 21st century education. Critical thinking, Creativity, Collaboration and Communication. The IB framework is progressive and is geared towards providing students with the skill sets required in the 21st century. The framework is an enabler for a school pursuing 21st century education. An affiliation to IB, has its associated costs, financial concerns which may not be transferable to the students. Some schools might not be able to affiliate themselves to these early programs.

Such an education in progressive schools is gaining acceptance across the world. CBSE has incentives for “innovative schools”. I would say, the nature of progressive education can be achieved in schools through IB and other alternative programmes. It is the commitment of the school leadership that will determine its ability to achieve such an outcome. However, as an IB school implementing the PYP curriculum, this is the only kind of education that can be imparted. Its framework is designed for that.

An affiliation to IB programmes is a public statement, a certificate (if you will), that the school has committed itself to such a progressive education. If a school has taken up the IB diploma program, and it suits their budgets, we encourage them to take up the continuum, whole heartedly.

|

CBSE and change

Change is an inevitability. Continually recognizing it and adapting to it is a key to success. Across the world visionaries experiment with novel methods to deal with change and are closely observed for applications in other areas. Changes to our economies, livelihood and social existence also has implications for education of our children. Childhood education is the bedrock for higher education and social existence.

Visionary schools are revisiting the paradigm of children’s education. However, these efforts are sporadic not systemic. CBSE has displayed its intention to take that leap forward with its recent affiliation bye-laws document.

CBSE is an important agent in shaping the future of India with 26L students writing their board exams in 2018. In the past CBSE has been accused being medical and engineering entrance exams focussed. Unacceptable levels of competition at the top medical/engineering colleges has facilitated the acceptance of other career options. Instead of “marks based priorities” successful lives and good citizens is an educational priority.

The CBSE affiliation bye laws document is a serious reevaluation, perhaps a commitment to reevaluate and change the system. The policy leaders have taken the trouble to revisit the entire document. More detailed discussions can be taken up later for now, this is just a note on some observations.

Communication 101: CBSE created a streamlined document that addresses each category in its entirety. An easier to read and understand document.

Financial Accountability: It seems in the interests of transparency and accountability all transactions must be made through digital mode. How CBSE intends to ensure that it is followed and the penalty for violating it, remains to be seen.

Permanent Affiliation: In doing away with permanent affiliation CBSE and removing graded categories for affiliation is a move towards greater compliance from participating schools.

School management committee: Two noteworthy changes to the school management committee. A minimum of 50% of the school management committee as women is a good move. Two “Board” nominated members for each school management committee will be a bandwidth nightmare for the board.

Clarity on land size and student capacity: Land requirements have been put succinctly with the number of students. Perhaps instead of optimum number of sections a minimum number of sections would have added more clarity.

Commitment: CBSE has shown its commitment to shaping the discourse on school education in India. By doing away with dual affiliations to its schools it has demanded a similar commitment from its partner schools.

Innovation: In mentioning “innovative schools” in the affiliation document, CBSE has created room for the experimenters and the change agents. This flexibility shall create strong institutions in the future. However, a definition of innovative schools will provide clarity in the specific areas that they are trying to promote. Educational consultants around the country have been busy introducing new practices to their clients, this clarity will certainly encourage this transition to new methodologies.

In closing, CBSE has put in the effort to address changes necessitated by the times, it is laudable. There is a lot more to be done. Continued effort and clarity can make this the beginning of a new era for school education in India.

|

Composition & Role of School Management Committee: 2018 CBSE Affiliation Byelaws

school management committee-01One major change in the new CBSE Affiliation Byelaws 2018 is in the composition and role of the School Management Committee.

In the earlier byelaws, it was mandatory to form a school management committee for all non-government schools only. The requirement was as per the CBSE byelaws only and the defined powers and functions of the school management committee was quite vague.

In the revised byelaws released in 2018, CBSE makes in mandatory for all schools to have a School Management Committee, as per RTE Act 2009 or as per regulations framed by the State / Central Government. The following major changes are seen in the composition of the School Management Committee (SMC), defined in Chapter 8 of the new byelaws:

Composition of the School Management Committee

a. At least 9 mandatory members of the SMC are clearly defined in Chapter 8 of the 2018 byelaws. The remaining members (upto 15 in total for aided schools and 21 for unaided private schools) may be nominated as per conditions of the State Government’s No Objection Certificate or nominated / elected as per regulations of the Society/Trust/Company running the school.

b. 50% of the total members of the SMC should be women.

c. The CBSE Board shall nominate 2 of the members in the School Management Committee – this is a big surprise and the mechanism of how CBSE plans to do so for for 20,783 schools that are currently affiliated is not described.

d. In addition to the 2 members nominated by CBSE, the Head of the School, 2 parents, 2 teachers and 2 nominees of the Society/Trust/Company (ex-teachers of school or college, one shall be a women) form the minimum required 9 members of the SMC.

e. Existing CBSE affiliated schools are given a time period of 1 year from 18 Oct 2018 to implement these changes.

Other conditions, such as term of the members being 3 years etc remain the same. For the first time, both CBSE and the State Government now have a role to play in the School Management Committee.

Powers and Functions of the School Management Committee

Some powers that the SMC committee had in the earlier byelaws, such as the power to take disciplinary action against staff or to sanction leave to the Head of the School have been removed from the new list in the new byelaws. This is a positive change, the new byelaws also clearly defines the objective of the SMC.

Amongst the major changes in the function of the School Management Committee is that the appointment of teachers and non-teaching staff needs to be approved by the SMC. The role of the SMC is to “guide” the Principal in the management of the school and to supervise the activities of the school for its smooth functioning – which gives the SMC a lot of authority on what the school does and how it operates.

The other major change is that the SMC will now “approve“ any changes in the fee structure and the fee cannot be changed without it’s explicit approval. Earlier, the SMC could only propose the changes to the Society/Trust/Company but the decision was not in its powers. Another overriding condition is that the Acts and Regulations of the State Government will prevail upon the School Management Committee – which indirectly allows State Governments to instruct SMC’s to limit fee increases, if it so wishes.

The entire para 8.4 and 8.5 of chapter 8, defining the Powers and Functions of the School Management Committee is reproduced below, for those interested in understanding it in detail. While we believe a lot of clarity on the role of the SMC has emerged, it remains to be seen if the impact will be positive on schools, or not.

 

8.4 Powers and Functions of the School Management Committee

Subject to overall control of the Society/Trust/ Company the duties, powers and responsibilities of the School Management Committee shall include but not limited to the following:

8.4.1    It shall supervise the activities of the school for its smooth functioning

8.4.2    It will work according to the specific directions given by the Society/Trust/Company regarding admission pokey. However, it shall ensure that admissions are made as per merit without discretion of gender, disability, religion, race, caste, creed and place of birth etc strictly as per state policy.

8.4.3    It shall look into the welfare of the teachers and employees of the school.

8.4.4    It shall evolve both short-term and long-term plans for the approvement of the school.

8.4.5    It shall make appointment of teachers and non teaching staff

8.4.6    It shall exercise financial powers beyond those delegated to the Prinapal within the budgetary provisions of the school.

8.4.7    It shall take stock of academic programmes and progress of the school without jeopardizing the academic freedom of Principal

8.4.8    It shall guide the Principal in school management.

8.4.9    It shall ensure that the norms given in the Acts/Rules of the StateUT and of the CBSE regarding terms and conditions of service and other rules governing recognition/Affiliation of the school are stnetty adhered to.

8.4.10  It shall ensure that no financial irregularity is committed and no irregular procedure with regard to admission/examinatons is adopted

8.4.11  It shall approve the rates of Fees and other charges subject to the conditions laid down in Chapter-7.

8.4.12  It shall review the budget of the school presented by the Principal and forward the same to Society/Trust/Company for approval

8.4.13  It shall ensure the safety and security of children and staff of the school and give directions for improvement

8.4.14  It shall look in to grievances of the teachers and staff n connection with their service conditions and pay etc. and dispose such grievances m accordance with applicable rules

8.4.15  The School Management Committee will meet at least twice in an academic session.

8.5  The provisions contained in Acts and Regulations of the Appropriate Government will prevail upon the provisions related to School Management Committee in these byelaws.