CBSE schools may be richer by Rs 1.2cr

The top three CBSE schools in the city are staring at a possible Rs 1.2 crore extra in fee revenue for the current academic year's Std XI admissions.

This possible revenue stems from the over 300 CBSE students who opted for the school-evaluated exam in Std X and wanted to shift to the State board but are unable to do so yet. The average annual fee in the top three private schools is about Rs 40,000 and there are enough seats (science and commerce faculty) to accommodate all the students. One of the schools charges up to Rs 65,000 annually while another charges about Rs 32,000.

With the stalemate between CBSE and the State continuing and parents groups approaching courts, there seems to be no quick solution to the problem. While the parents are fighting it out in the courts they are also aware of the fast ticking clock of the centralized admission process (CAP) which will be coming to an end soon. The group is now seeking admissions for their kids back in their alma mater to be on the safe side, but also keeping the option open to jump to State board if the issue is resolved.

A parent, said, "We all have a gut feeling that everything will turn out fine in the end as we have a lot of faith in the courts. But frankly no one wants to wait that long because even the CBSE schools may shut the doors for us citing lack of seat availability. Hence we decided that we should at least complete the admission formalities at the CBSE schools and keep our fingers crossed for what happens next."

If after paying the fees the problem with state gets solved and a student decides to shift, then there is an issue of refund.

Some schools have told parents that they will get 90% fee refund if they shift within month of paying the fees. Some schools will keep about Rs 10,000 as a non-refundable component in the fee structure. However, the final formalities are still being worked out as the management is holding talks with parents.

In fact, parents have approached schools in large groups for admissions and there are talks of 'group discounts' being bargained for, according a source on the management board of a top school.

A principal of a popular CBSE school, said, "We do not look at it from a profit point of view at all, we also don't want that the children to suffer in anyway. We have kept seats for them (school-evaluated students) and we have also told the parents that they can shift to State board mid-session if they want. There really is no scope for discounts as for us these are in the end regular admissions and we have our own expenses as well."

There were quite a few parents who have decided not to shift to the state board at all, even if the problem is solved. "Why should I make my son do a merry-go-round circus? He has to concentrate on studies and not worry about changing schools and colleges every three months. Plus once we pay the fees, there is no point in shifting to state colleges anyway," said another parent whose son studies at Centre Point (Katol road) school.

Almost all parents TOI spoke to kept their admission wish list limited to the top three private schools, which is something that the management is aware of as well. It seems the Maharashtra government's rigid stand has indirectly done a lot of good for CBSE schools in the city.