Mumbai: ‘Is this actually an IB-affiliated school?’

The civic-run Mumbai Public School in Vile Parle East, on Tuesday. Pic/Rane Ashish

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's only International Baccalaureate (IB) school, which the civic body claimed was seeing good response and had witnessed a rush for admissions until last year, is now facing significant issues. Parents have voiced concerns over a lack of teachers, the absence of a principal and the lack of basic amenities such as CCTV cameras and water purifiers at the civic-run Mumbai Public School in Vile Parle East.

Additionally, sections of the school's signboard where its IB affiliation was mentioned have been covered with duct tape, leaving parents uncertain about its current status. The IB factor was key in admissions over the past three years. BMC officials said that the IB affiliation cannot be mentioned on the board before they officially receive the affiliation letter.

"My daughter is now in Std III; hers is the first batch to reach Std III this year. The new academic year began in April 2024, followed by a 15-day break in June, and the school reopened on June 15. However, they still do not have a class teacher or a mother teacher for Std III. Other teachers must manage the class, often combining it with smaller classes. The principal has been absent, and we were informed she is on a long leave for health reasons. Although this civic-run school claims to offer an IB curriculum, neither the books nor the teaching meet IB standards. Now, even the IB label has been removed," said Saavi Desai, a parent. Saavi and another parent mentioned that teachers informed them that from Std V onwards, the school will follow the CBSE curriculum because the civic body cannot afford to offer the IB curriculum.

‘No clarity'

Another parent, Vijay Verma, whose daughter studies in Std II at the school, said, "I withdrew my daughter's admission from St Teresa's school and enrolled her in a BMC-run school because they were offering an IB curriculum. Private IB schools are unaffordable, but here the education is free. Now, after two years, there is no clarity about the school's affiliation. The level of teaching is not even on par with the SSC board, let alone international standards."

Verma added, "I enrolled my daughter when she was in senior kindergarten. The teacher was excellent, and the kids were happy. However, when the kids were promoted to the primary section, the level of teaching declined. There are two teachers for maths, but there is no specialised teacher for English and Hindi, causing the kids to lag. We have complained about the lack of basic amenities to BMC officials. The school entrance lacks CCTV cameras, and there are no water purifiers. If we complain, the school authorities blame us and may keep the school closed for a few days."

In January, parents met the assistant Municipal Commissioner of K east ward, demanding that the level of teaching in the school should match IB standards. They also raised the issue that despite having six active classrooms - three for kindergarten and three for primary (I to III) - there is only one certified IB curriculum teacher. One parent told mid-day that the books given to the children are skill books not used by schools following the IB curriculum.

Official Speak

When contacted, a senior BMC official said, "I have heard about these issues. A few parents are raising these concerns. Regarding the affiliation, the civic body has paid the registration fees, and the affiliation is in process."

Sayali Surve, superintendent, BMC other board schools, said, "We have provided all the facilities, even 27 items we provide the students including books and bags. There is no permanent teacher for class III but the process is on, and within 15-20 days we will have a teacher. The process of affiliation too is in the pipeline. We have already paid $30,000 for affiliation and registration. Teacher training too was conducted; two teachers were trained already. Since the affiliation is pending, we are not allowed to write IB or world school so we have covered the board for now."

Decline occurring?

To prevent dropouts and divert more parents towards civic-run schools, the BMC's education department introduced the CBSE board in 10 of its schools from the academic year 2020-21. The initiative started in 2021 and as of 2024, the BMC has expanded to 22 non-state board schools including - 19 CBSE schools (11 affiliated), 1 ICSE school (affiliated), 1 IGCSE school (pending affiliation), and one IB school also awaiting affiliation.

However, there seems to be a decline in overall applications this year. The model of having a single CBSE school in each ward seems to be facing challenges and needs to be re-evaluated, according to many education activists. For example, a CBSE school in Mithagar, Mulund received 171 applications for 238 seats. Another school in Shanti Nagar, Arthur Road, received 353 applications for 612 seats.

In contrast, a school in Bora Bazar, Fort received only 23 applications for 612 seats, and the Veer Savarkar Marg school in Vikhroli received 385 applications for 612 seats. Additionally, the Malvani Township school in Malad West received 406 applications for 612 seats. These figures highlight the inconsistencies and challenges faced by the current model.

19
No of CBSE schools run by BMC