CBSE asks schools to make information public

Oct 30 2016 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)

CBSE asks schools to make information public

Manash Gohain   New Delhi





Having largely failed to nudge schools towards greater transparency by publicly disclosing their fee -for people to judge if it was commensurate with the facilities provided -the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is acting tough. It has now made it mandatory for all schools across the country to make public information about their functioning under 130 heads.
School managements are protesting against what they see as the CBSE overstepping its authority and trampling on the autonomy of the schools.The order -no longer an advisory -to upload the disclosures on the school websites has not gone down well with them.
In an office memorandum, issued on October 25, CBSE has asked for mandatory disclosures broadly under six categories: general, management, infrastructure, staff, finance and other details. This nance and other details. This covers an unprecedented wide range -from the number of taps to complete break-up of the fee, speed of their WiFi net work, admission results, reserve funds, balance sheets etc. The deadline for completing the process is November 30, 2016.
This is part of the initiative announced earlier in September by the chairman of the Board, Rajesh Kumar Chaturvedi. In a circular as early as June, the CBSE had asked for fee and salary details to be uploaded but found that many schools had not even developed a website.
The Board had threatened not to allow their students to appear for the board examinations. In September, the Board had set a deadline of October 31for schools to disclose the in formation on their own and the Board's website.
In the latest circular, the Board has listed the details it is seeking and spelt out that it is mandatory .
“The information shall be filed only online through the link given on the Board's website and is also to be uploaded on the school's website. The information will facilitate the Board using it in various academic and examination activities. It shall also be beneficial for schools to make available information about their academic and infrastructural facilities in public domain for dissemination and wider publicity,“ stated the memoran dum, adding that the last date for completing the process was November 30, 2016.
The most exhaustive of the categories is infrastructure where the schools are being asked to disclose the size of the plot they are located on, area of the playground and even the built-up area. The schools also need to disclose the number of buildings and whether they are being run from multiple sites. All details of the facilities provided to students need to be disclosed.
Safety seems to be an area of concern with the schools being asked to furnish details of safety measures and equipment like fire extinguisher, sprinklers and fire alarms with issuing date, validity and authority , besides safety certificates related to fire, construction, drinking water and health and sanitation in general.
“The primary idea is to make things transparent. Apart from the Board, the parents and public need to know exactly what they are paying for and whether the school is offering all the facilities promised and whether the fee charged matches the facilities offered,“ said Chaturvedi.