CBSE instructs schools not to force Std XI kids to change stream

Updated on: Saturday, May 12, 2012

Following a Delhi high court order, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has posted a circular on its website, stating schools, which start their Std-XI classes before the Std-X board results are declared, cannot force the students to change their streams after their scores are out. If they do, they cannot charge any fee from those students.

Many CBSE schools enrol students to Std XI provisionally, before the board results are announced, allowing them to take up streams, based on their performance in pre-board exams and unit tests. But once the results are out, going by their scores, many schools feel that some children are not cut out for particular subjects and force them to change their streams.

The order was passed after a case was filed in the Delhi HC by a student, who was allowed to study a combination of subjects but immediately after the results were declared, the student was asked to pursue another combination. "To avoid hardship for students caused by a change in streams, some guidelines are being given for compliance by all schools affiliated to CBSE to deal such cases," says the circular.

But the board did admit that sometimes, a change in subjects becomes necessary. For that, the circular has set some rules: "Schools shall bear the burden of all expenses to be incurred by the students/parents in buying a second set of books and study materials for the allocated subject/stream or reimburse them on the basis of the bills produced by them."

The circular is not applicable to schools that do not start Std-XI classes before the board results are declared. "Many of our students apply elsewhere and we also receive applications of students from other boards. So, we start our session in the third week of June," said Deepshika Srivastava, principal of Rajhans Vidyalaya, Andheri (W). But not all schools, like R N Podar High School, follow the rule. "But we charge fees only from June," said principal Avnita Bir.

A circular states that if the stream change is absolutely required, then "schools shall bear the burden of all expenses to be incurred by the students/parents in buying a second set of books..."

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