Govt schools to be graded by July 5

Sanjeev Singh Bariana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 20

As part of grading more than 3,700 high and senior secondary schools in the state, the Director General School Education (DGSE) has sought details such as board results (2017-18), record of attendance, co-curricular activities and available infrastructure from school heads within a week.

The gradation list will be uploaded on the department website by July 5. Based on the above information according to a set formula, the schools will be graded A+, A, B, C, D or E.

Krishan Kumar, Secretary, School Education, said: “Rather than a generalised ranking on the basis of pass percentage, we are grading schools separately on different parameters. A school having 100 per cent pass result is good, but a school with 95 per cent result can be excellent considering other factors.” He said: “In the first step, we are not offering any financial aid or commendation to schools in A+ category. However, we are open to suggestions for improvement in our grading system. Besides incorporating a healthy competition among schools, the grading has been introduced to inform the people about the overall standing of schools in their area. This will make teachers and the department more accountable.”

Giving details of the evaluation criteria, Manoj Kumar, project director, Punjab Education Development Board, said: “Out of 100 marks, 50 have been assigned to board results. Infrastructure in schools has been assigned 20 marks, co-curricular activities 15, student attendance 10, and school management committees and public participation 5.”

The department has also sought information on display of maps and slogans in schools, cleanliness, playgrounds, classrooms for teachers and space for staff. Other criteria included availability of electricity, condition of library and labs.