(News) CBSE: Schools will get their quality checked stamp

Schools will get their `quality checked' stamp, if the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE) has its way with accreditation. It
was mooted by HRD minister Kapil Sibal recently, asking the Board to explore the possibility.

CBSE has readied a draft note detailing the process to accredit its 10,500 schools across the country, to bring in quality control. The schools will be accredited for 3-5 years, based on various parameters (see box). However, the Board has made it very clear that there will be no ranking of schools, rather, a level of acceptable quality will be established for all accredited institutions, while respecting their unique missions.

THE PROCESS:

According to the Board, the affiliated schools come in contact with the Board at the time of initial affiliation, upgradation or renewal of affiliation. "But after completion, there is hardly any quality check on these schools. The only indicators would be Class 10 and 11 exam results, which were highlighted by schools individually and differently,'' the note stated.

Interestingly, it is the not the Board that accredits schools. An Expert Advisory Committee (EAC) will be constituted by the Board, which will choose agencies to assess and accredit the schools based on the criteria and fees approved by CBSE. In case a school is not satisfied with its assessment, the Board will only act as an appellate body.

The standards for accreditation will be a research-based set of practices and concepts that provide guidance to schools on all aspects of education such as academic, civic and social. The standards will be reviewed and revised periodically, and will include surveys of all member schools, feedback by schools which have undergone an accreditation visit, appraisal, relevant educational literature and in-depth discussions at the Board level.

Courtesy: Timesofindia.indiatimes.com