Himachal’s CBSE Tryst: Attendance, Dress Code and Logistics Take Centre Stage. Skills more important...
Shimla, September 1: Himachal Pradesh is expanding its CBSE experiment in government schools, with the government now focusing on attendance, dress code, infrastructure and teacher recruitment. But the bigger challenge remains improving teaching skills to meet CBSE standards.
Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today announced a three-time attendance system for 150 government CBSE schools across the state. Attendance will be recorded at three stages—morning arrival, during lunch break and at checkout.
But what the government wants to achieve by these repeated time wasting ritualistic roll calls is something that puzzles educationists. The schools cannot be run on borrowed ideas but by skills of teachers that promotes a culture of self-study and learning curiosity among students.
The government is also introducing a separate dress code for teachers and students. The teachers’ dress code will be mandatory from October 1. Each teacher will receive one-time financial assistance of Rs 5,000 to purchase the prescribed dress.
The uniform for students is expected to be finalised within a week.
The government is also strengthening facilities in these schools. An additional Rs 80 crore will be provided for improving infrastructure and other facilities for students and teachers.
Teacher recruitment is also underway. Around 1,200 teachers have already been appointed in the CBSE schools. More teachers will be recruited in the coming months.
But the bigger challenge is now inside the classroom. CBSE education requires teachers to adopt new teaching and assessment methods.
Competency-based learning, critical thinking, experiential learning and modern assessment are increasingly important under the CBSE system. Teachers moving from the traditional state-board system will need regular training and support to adapt to these requirements.
Attendance can improve discipline. A common dress code can give schools a new identity. Better facilities can improve the learning environment.
But these measures alone cannot guarantee better learning outcomes. The quality of teaching will remain the key test of Himachal’s CBSE experiment.
The timing makes the challenge more urgent. September has already arrived and the next CBSE examinations are only a few months away.
Himachal therefore needs to move faster on teacher training, classroom preparation and assessment practices. There is little time to close the gaps before students face the next CBSE examinations.
The government has begun putting the systems and facilities in place. The next priority must be to ensure that teachers are equally prepared.
Ultimately, the success of these 150 schools will not be judged by attendance systems, uniforms or buildings. It will be judged by what students learn and how they perform in the CBSE examinations.
