Mira Bhayandar: MBMC schools to soon get CBSE and ICSE affiliations

Mira Bhayandar: Children studying in civic schools will soon have an option to study under the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) as state education minister- Deepak Kesarkar has given his in-principle nod to approve needed affiliations for the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) run schools.

Kesarkar made this announcement during his speech at the art festival hosted by MLA Pratap Sarnaik in Bhayandar on Monday. 

“Although new schools cannot be approved, we will definitely consider the civic administration’s proposal to acquire CBSE and ICSE affiliations for some of its existing ones as an exceptional case,” said Kesarkar who also assured to provide initial funding for recruiting teachers and fine-tuning needed infrastructure needed for the purpose to provide a new opportunity to students, who cannot afford private education to study the central curriculum.

The civic administration will soon table a proposal to introduce CBSE and ICSE curriculum in schools having poor enrolments and also for consider such affiliations for those under the rent-out-model recently mooted by the MBMC while leasing vacant plots which have been tagged for education purposes, under its new education policy said a senior MBMC official. 

As per the policy, those plots wherein 50% of the total area or more than 2,000 sq m has already been acquired and the MBMC's education department does not need them to construct schools will be rented out at existing market rates, allowing private players to develop their own institutes for a tenure of 30 years.  

At present, there are 36 municipal schools that impart education in Marathi, Urdu, Hindi, Gujarati and semi-English modes to around 8,500 students- mostly from poor economic backgrounds.