State to launch international-level board next Jan

The state’s school education department will soon bring out a brand new education board from the next academic session in the hopes of revolutionizing education in Maharashtra. According to sources, the board will have an ‘international’ nomenclature to it.

It is still unclear as to whether the new board will be an autonomous entity or under state control. This project has been in the works for almost a year and stems from the State’s initiative called Pragat Shaikshanik Maharashtra (Academically Progressed Maharashtra) which is a programme initiated by state Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to improve the quality of education in Maharashtra.

Principal secretary of school education, Nand Kumar told TOI, “The new international board will have to launch by January next year. That will give us enough time to prepare for the new academic session of 2018-19. We plan to affiliate 100 existing schools to the new board,” he said. “The CM wants state students to rank in the top three in international assessments. The ‘international education’ under the new board will be defined soon” added Kumar.

Kumar also informed TOI that the board’s chairman will be different, it will have separate headquarters, staff and curriculum. For now, all teaching staff will come from the existing pool available in the government and private-aided schools. Only government-owned schools in rural areas would be granted affiliation for the first few years. The 100 schools to be included in the pilot project would be chosen from across the state, and preference will be given to those with high enrolment figures.

“We have already identified a school in Nandurbar district and we plan to start one in Bhamragadh in Gadchiroli district. No one would ever think of starting an international level school in such remote areas but we will change that perception,” said Kumar.

The state education secretary feels that there would be no shortage of “quality teachers”. “They will have to apply for jobs here, which means there will be no forced transfers. There are many dedicated teachers who want to go to rural areas and teach kids. Their zeal and our specialized training will ensure that the students will benefit,” Kumar said.

Speaking on whether the new board will clash with the already-existing SSC/HSC board, Kumar said, “The number of boards does not matter, the quality of education does. Both boards will function together and, students and parents will start making the choice on what suits them the best.”