Maharashtra schools may get quality cards

Government-run schools in the state will get ‘Quality Checked’ cards if the Quality Council of India (QCI) has its way with accreditation. The National Accreditation Board for Education and Training (Nabet) had asked the state government to explore this possibility.

While the state government is contemplating its own accreditation system, the QCI is in talks with the government to grade the finest state-run schools. “Preliminary talks with the government have begun. The idea is to make our accreditation a benchmark on the basis of which parents can select schools for their children,” said Dr Girdhar Gyani, Nabet’s secretary general.

Government schools around the country, particularly in the interior parts of the state, are afflicted with poor infrastructure and teacher absenteeism. “Regulation doesn’t help much if people are not motivated. Nabet’s accreditation process leads to self-evaluation by students and staff members. It’s the right way to approach the issue of quality instead of regulating things,” said Seema Buch, principal of Gundecha Academy, Kandivili, the first school in the city to receive this accreditation.

However, convincing the government to loosen its grip on such schools will be a difficult job. “The state government has tight control over the running of these schools. Even teachers are controlled by political parties. A major challenge will be to persuade the government to give some amount of autonomy to these schools,” added Gyani.

To promote private unaided schools to opt for the accreditation, the council has launched one-day awareness programmes.

These will explain the importance of accreditation. Once a school applies for accreditation, Nabet sends its assessors to rate the school. If it is not up to the standards for accreditation, the school is asked to improve.