Confusion as CBSE list (shifts) state admin to west zone

February 13, 2013, 12:00 am


As CBSE-affiliated schools in state prepared to register online for the board’s latest initiative, online generation of question papers, an erroneous list caused major confusion. The list put online by CBSE details the clusters and zones in which schools have been divided into, according to which they will have to register online. Though Maharashtra comes under CBSE’s South Zone office at Chennai, the list puts the state under West Zone administration, whose office is located at Ajmer.

Schools across the region were confused on seeing this list, some even wondering if there has been an administrative change. A principal said, "CBSE is notorious for making or changing policies in an instant, so I thought now we have been put under Ajmer region’s administrative control."

The reason this ’change’ worried schools so much was because they have filled students’ data for upcoming board exams already, and all the paperwork had been sent to the Chennai region office. Another principal said, "Even for practical exams the assessment data has to be sent to Chennai for compilation."

The worried schools called up Sahodaya officials to seek clarity, and were informed that the list was a mistake. Annapoorni Shastri, chairperson of Nagpur Sahodaya Schools Complex and senior principal of Bhavans’ (Wathoda), said, "It was an error and there is no change in our administrative set up, and I have informed CBSE about the mistake in the list. Schools can ignore that list and register online under either of the two regions and that won’t create any problems. We are leaving the column for ’state’ blank, because Maharashtra does not figure in the cluster that we have been put into. This won’t impact the registration process or the exams, so schools need not worry."

CBSE administers its affiliated schools through seven regional offices in India, with Maharashtra coming under the Chennai regional office. Five separate regional offices take care of schools located abroad.