BMC education committee plans to affiliate one civic school to CBSE, ICSE boards

MUMBAI: Members in the BMC’s education committee have proposed to affiliate one civic school to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) board on a pilot basis in an attempt to attract students.

The proposal will be sent to the municipal commissioner for his consideration.
Sainath Durge, member of the BMC education committee and the one who has proposed the plan, said, “The image of civic schools is that it is only for students from poor families.A lot of students move to CBSE and CISCE schools because the boards are more established and hold esteem among higher education institutes as well.” Civic schools are currently affiliated to the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education.
Last year, BMC schools saw a 9% drop in enrolments from the previous academic session, according to the data collected by NGO Praja Foundation. There are three lakh students in more than 1,200 BMC schools in the city.
Durge said that as part of the pilot, an existing school could start another wing and provide national curriculum work at a standard fee. “The two schools can work together and help each other. This will also help us understand how the parents perceive the schools and if there is a demand, the pilot could be extended to more schools.”
Durge said the demand was made under the guidance of Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray.
Anjali Naik, education committee chairperson, said, “We have received the proposal and will forward it to the municipal commissioner for remarks. Depending on that, we would take it ahead.”
A few months ago, the BMC did not allow its schools to affiliate with the Maharashtra International Education Board because the board charged an affiliation fee while the civic body wanted it to be free. Nearly 23 schools were shortlisted for affiliation.
“The national boards do not offer regional languages as a medium of instruction and several civic schools are not English medium. This would mean that the BMC has to switch to English medium for all its schools. The cost of these boards are also much higher than the MIEB,” said a member of the MIEB.