Nagpur: CBSE schools in the State including Nagpur will not be able to appoint principals on their own. With the new affiliation bylaws brought into force, it has now become mandatory that the school management should have nominees of both CBSE and school education department. Interestingly, the state education officials will have the veto power in the selection process.
With this decision the long drawn tug-of-war between CBSE schools and state education department seems be moving decisively in the latter’s direction. A senior state education official said, “It’s a welcome move and in fact we had asked for this way back in 2010 but these schools were not even interested in listening to us.
Our experience is that CBSE school management always looks down upon us even though they all start off as our affiliates before shifting to the central board.” Others in the education department too echoed the same sentiments with a ‘triumphant’ note. “Now that their board has said it then they have no choice to follow it. We will finally have a decision making role in their schools which help to ensure that all rules and regulations laid down by state are being properly implemented,” said another officer.
Schools however are unhappy with the decision with many seeing it as an ‘unnecessary intrusion’. A trustee said, “There’s a saying in English that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. CBSE has most probably given into pressure from states and added this clause. Our selection methods are extremely transparent and follow the norms laid down.
” Another trustee, who also owns a college said, “This new rule will only add friction in the selection process. For long the state education officials have held a grudge against the top CBSE schools and this will be like ‘payback’ time.” CBSE has been focusing on keeping a tight leash on school managements that appoint their kin as principals, though in Nagpur city there are no such cases. Top CBSE schools prefer professionals to run the show and keep their family involvement limited to executive decisions.
