CBSE schools witness unusual demand for admission

The inclination of parents in Tiruchi towards CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) schools has become evident in the substantial increase in demand for admissions for the forthcoming academic year.

Most of the over 10 CBSE schools in and around the city have completed the process of making new admissions, it is learnt.

The obvious reason for the unusual demand is the scepticism of a section of parents towards the equitable standard school education that will come under implementation from 2010-11. In the first phase classes I and VI will be brought under the system, and in 2011-12, the system will be extended to other classes.

The equitable standard of school education seeks to incorporate the best features of State Board, Matriculation, Oriental and Anglo Indian streams. The NCERT textbooks are to be used as the model in terms of content, printing quality and visual appeal. However, managements of matriculation schools are not quite convinced and fear dilution of syllabi.

In view of the parents' preference for CBSE schools due to this reason, managements of self-financing matriculation schools have begun to think on lines of starting new CBSE schools to contain the exodus of their students to other institutions. Their reasoning is that students who undergo a higher standard of education till standard X have been found to perform better at higher secondary level.

Also, due to the commonality of the syllabus, there are reports of parents shifting their wards from matriculation schools to the English medium sections in government schools.