Int'l Schools To Be Brought Under National, State Board

If the HRD ministry has its way, it will become mandatory for all global and international schools operating in India to teach Indian spiritual values, nationalism and Indian political sciences in their curriculum.

Currently, the ministry has no control over these schools. Till a few months back, it even had no information on their operating system. These schools, to operate in India, will now have to procure affiliation from a national or state board.

Four hundred and eighty two international schools operate in India, with Maharashtra having over 60 per cent of them, followed by Delhi and the NCR region. Six are located in embassies.

Both the National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT) and the National University of Education Planning and Administration (NUEPA) compile data on schools. But even these wings of the ministry do not have these schools listed.

Now, with the NUEPA submitting its report on international schools about a month ago, the ministry is all set to get the ball rolling and make the schools amend their curriculum to operate in India.

NUEPA, in its report to the ministry, has observed that these schools do not follow NCERT or state board curriculum. The Union government has no control over what these foreign boards are teaching Indian students.

"Whether or not the right values are being imparted or whether the students are being taught Indian culture and diversity, nobody knows," added an officer.

Three international boards – International Baccalaureate, Cambridge International Examination and Edexcel Examination Board – operate in India. While these schools acquire land from state governments, they do not fall within the ambit of Right to Education.

If the recommendations of NUEPA are accepted, these schools, besides following their own teaching methodologies, will have to teach in the NCERT curriculum framework. These schools will also be made a part of the education policy of the government.

The international schools were set up to cater to the needs of children of international mobile parents, who live across different countries. "But over the years, we have seen that even Indian parents have started sending their children to these schools. So it was felt that our students should be given an Indian perspective of what all they learn," added the officer.

The ministry also wants to regularise the salary structures of these schools to ensure that they meet Indian standards.