CBSE Board issued important notice to Class 1 to 12 students

CBSE Board: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has indeed issued a significant circular to its affiliated schools regarding the maximum number of students per section. CBSE Board issued important notice to Class 1 to 12 students.

CBSE has now officially allowed affiliated schools to register up to 45 students per section in exceptional circumstances, across Classes 1 to 12. This is an increase from the earlier prescribed limit of 40 students per section.

This relaxation is not a general policy change to increase class sizes across the board. It is specifically meant to address genuine difficulties faced by schools in accommodating students under unavoidable situations. These exceptional circumstances include:

Transfers of parents: Particularly for employees in government, defense, PSUs, and private sectors.

Essential Repeat (ER) cases: Students who need to repeat a class.

Admissions due to serious medical issues.

Students shifting from hostels.

Students seeking admission for performance improvement.

Strict Cap of 45: The board has made it very clear that no school is permitted to admit more than 45 students per section under any circumstances. This is the absolute upper limit.

Documentation and Justification are Mandatory:

For Classes 9 to 12, schools must record the reasons for exceeding the 40-student limit at the time of student registration on the CBSE online registration portal and also maintain this record in their Admission & Withdrawal Register.

For Classes 1 to 8, the reasons must be documented in the Admission & Withdrawal Register of the school. In all applicable cases, the details should also be uploaded to the OASIS portal.

Infrastructure Requirements: The relaxation is contingent upon schools meeting specific infrastructure norms. Classrooms must be at least 500 square feet in size and provide a minimum of one square meter of built-up floor area per student, in line with Clause 4.8 of the Affiliation Bye-Laws, 2018.

Temporary Relaxation with a Long-Term Goal: This current relaxation for 45 students per section is a continuation of a temporary measure first introduced in August 2023, valid for the academic sessions 2023-24, 2024-25, and 2025-26.

CBSE’s long-term vision is for schools to gradually return to the optimal student-to-classroom ratio of 40 students per section. Schools are advised to continuously work on augmenting their physical infrastructure (e.g., constructing additional classrooms) and regulating admissions in junior classes to achieve this.

This circular highlights CBSE’s attempt to balance the practical challenges faced by schools in accommodating students with the need to maintain quality education standards and manageable class sizes.

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