Mumbai junior colleges plan to Close doors for CBSE students

Maharashtra government filed a caveat in the Bombay HC to ensure that the admission process is not stopped by any untoward litigation from any parties. Just last week, the state’s education department had raised concerns over admitting CBSE students who had had opted for the internal school-based assessment over the board exam into junior colleges. This time, however, it is not the state government that is to blame for the confusion on the eve of admission season, but CBSE schools in Mumbai. After studying the CBSE’s circulars issued last year, the state government found that the central board had clarified that students who wished to move out of school to non-CBSE boards had to take the board examination. This, according to the government, ensures that CBSE schools in Mumbai cannot demand college seats for students who have taken the school-based test.

An official from the education department said, “The central board’s circular issued on August 30, 2010, clearly mentions that the board exam is for ‘students who wish to move out of the CBSE system after Class X’ .”

V S Radha, the in-charge secretary of the school education department, said: “The department is only following CBSE’s circulars. When the central board has clarified that students taking the school based exams cannot opt for other boards, then the state government need not interfere. We do not want the admission process of lakhs of children to be disrupted by a few thousand students. We will inform all our deputy directors in the eight regions to admit only students who have taken the board exams conducted by the centre. CBSE schools will have to submit the data of those students who have taken the board exam.”

Avnita Bir, principal of R N Podar High School, said: “The board had clarified its stand, but there were ambiguities and doubts in the minds of parents . There’s a chance that some students who have taken the school-based test may wish to apply to the state’s junior colleges. Also there are students from outside the state who have taken the internal test seeking admission in state’s junior colleges.”

According to V S Radha the state education department may make an exception for students whose parents have been transferred to Maharashtra from outside state. “We will deal with it on a case-to case basis, but we are yet to make a decision ,” she said.