The Central Board of Secondary Education, (CBSE) on May 31, 2024, issued an amendment to a notification related to the Re-alignment of per section student strength to 40 per section over the next 3 (2023-2024 2024-2025, 2025-2026) years dated August 02, 2023.
The aim of granting affiliation to the schools is to impart quality education. The schools affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) are expected to abide by the norms of the Affiliation Bye-Laws, 2018 and amendments carried out after that from time to time. The Board has also issued guidelines and circulars for interpreting and implementing the By-laws.
The maximum intake of students in each section, is inter-alia, as stated in Rule 4.8 of the Affiliation Bye-Laws, 2018 under-
Rule 4.8: The optimum number of students shall be 40 in each section. The availability of one square meter Built-up Floor Area per child in the classrooms is an absolute necessity in the school.
In light of the aforementioned rule, Circular No. CBSE/CE/CIRCULAR/2023, dated August 2, 2023, directed all CBSE-affiliated schools to adjust their per-section student strength to 40. The circular also advised schools to use the permitted limit of 45 students per section judiciously and to ensure that section strengths are aligned to 40 students per section over the next three years (academic sessions 2023-2024, 2024-2025, and 2025-2026) by regulating admissions from junior classes.
Suppose a school meets the infrastructural requirements regarding land availability and the number of rooms with specified dimensions as per the Affiliation Bye-Laws. In that case, it may apply to increase the number of sections on the SARAS portal to accommodate more students. The online application module for increasing or decreasing sections on the SARAS portal is open until June 30, 2024, and schools may apply as needed.
Schools have made various representations concerning admissions for children due to parental transfers and essential repeat (ER) cases. In response, and as a partial modification to the circular dated August 2, 2023, it has been decided that in cases where students join mid-session due to parental transfers or fall under the ER category, schools may exceed the prescribed limit of 40 students per section up to a maximum of 45. This exception is available on a case-by-case basis, and schools must apply to the concerned Regional Office with adequate supporting documentation for approval.
However, this provision should not be treated as a general norm and must be used judiciously. Additionally, schools must ensure that the number of students in entry-level classes is restricted to 40 per section.
[Notification No. CBSE/Coord/Grading System/2024]
