RTI information reveals how Mumbai school kept parents in the dark on CBSE affiliation

Parents are seeing red as a RTI reply has revealed that they received admission in a school that claimed that it had the requisite CBSE board affiliation when in reality it didn't have it. A month back Saraswati Mandir Education Society, Mahim removed their signboard announcing Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) affiliation (proposed) school. One of parents got suspicious and applied a Right to Information (RTI). The reply revealed that the school didn't have CBSE board affiliation.

After removing the signboard from the main gate of the school, the school has conducted a meeting with the Parent Teacher Association. But not all parents are aware of the status about CBSE affiliation as the school has decided to inform about the same in January month next year.

One of the parents, said, "The school represented themselves in front of child rights commission and also in Bombay high court as CBSE board affiliated school despite not getting any affiliation from the board which is illegal. We took admission for our children thinking its CBSE affiliated school and now school says they have not yet received affiliation. This amounts to cheating the parents. The RTI reply has revealed that the school is not affiliated with the central education board."

Another parent of the school, said, "We are in the dark about the affiliation of the school. After removing the signboard the school has still not clarified anything with all the parents. We have taken admission in school thinking the school is CBSE board and we are charged fees also accordingly. What will school mention in the report card of students, to which board they are affiliated to? Will our children get admission in other schools if this is the case."

The Principal of the school which is now named as Saraswati Mandir Education Society (English Medium) Madhavi Wagle, said, "In 2017 when our school reached upto class VI, our school management applied for CBSE board affiliation. Since this year our school has reached upto class VIII our documentation process with CBSE board has been completed. We are now waiting for the affiliation to come from the board. It takes a lot of time to get affiliation. In case our students reach class X and if we don't get affiliation, then we can make our students give board examination from another CBSE board centre."