THE BENEFICIARIES? Girls of a CBSE school in Chennai engaged in a discussion. — FILE PHOTO: S. Thanthoni

CHENNAI: The Central Board of Secondary Education has directed its affiliated schools to provide free education to all girl students who are "single child" in their family.

An amendment to the Board's affiliation laws, to come into effect from the next academic year, is aimed at ending discrimination against the girl child's educational progress.

But managements of privately-run CBSE schools are worried. The authorities fear that such a step will strike at the roots of viability. To avoid a financial crisis, schools may deny admission to girl students.

Even if a few dozen girls in classes VI to XII (who are eligible for the full fee waiver) are given free education, the school will face a big fee loss, say principals and management representatives.

Discrimination

The CBSE circular notes that indicators showed that girl children in India were discriminated against right from the earliest stage in life, including in matters of education and health.

To promote education of the girl child, an amendment to the affiliation bylaws of the Board had been made so that all affiliated schools will grant full waiver of tuition and all other fees from class VI to each girl student who is a single child in the family. If the family has two girl children and no other child, each girl can be given 50 per cent fee concession.

Affiliated schools should implement this directive from April 1, 2006, but schools seeking CBSE affiliation now should implement the directive immediately.

The `single girl' status can be accepted based on a simple affidavit from the parent and inform the parents that in case the affidavit is found false, the school can take action and the Board will consider withholding certificates.

The non-implementation of the provisions will attract action under the CBSE's affiliation bylaws, it notes.

Mrs. Y.G. Parthasarathy, founder of the Padma Seshadri group of schools, says even if one single girl child per class is given fee waiver, "my school has to fend for 140 girls and I do not know whether we can afford it." Some schools may opt to convert into matriculation or the ISCE Boards or make "subtle attempts to discourage girls' admission to avoid losses." Alternatively, she suggests, the Board ask schools to provide free education to one girl child per class based on economic criteria. The present order can lead to more girls flocking to good schools.

The number of boys to be admitted will come down, as the class strength is defined. "This can be discrimination against boys. This gender showdown can also reflect at home," says Mrs. Parthasarathy.

Grant component

The southern zone vice-president, Independent Schools' Federation of India, R. Kishore Kumar, says 95 per cent of their expenses is met through fee collections.

"We see many nuclear families stopping with a single child. So, a school may have to provide free education to a few hundred single girl children. To make up the loss, schools will either reduce teacher pay or increase fee for boys, which is discrimination against boys," he adds.

Making a case for a grant component from the Government, V. Venkatachalam, CBSE school principal, says that because of free education "parents will seek to shift more girl children from government or aided schools to our institutions. Government schools will see reduction in strength."

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