Latest Developments in the CBSE System

CBSE is a distinguished and nationally recognized board in our country. It has set excellent standards for education in our country. It started way back in the 1950's and has developed into an extremely successful educational board in India. The Central Board of Secondary Education has evolved remarkably in the past few years. It makes a sincere effort to impart a common education in our diverse country. CBSE has been following its rules and regulations established at the start but have also kept on developing with time. One of the finest examples of the continuous development and growth of the CBSE system is the introduction of the grading system. It has also introduced the financial management course which was recently started from the academic year 2008.

With the implementation of the CCE, in class IX and above, our education system has moved on to an absolutely new level. CCE or the Continuous & Comprehensive Education has made revolutionary changes in our country's educational system. According to this system, senior secondary school under the CBSE board is now following a summative and formative pattern of assessment. These formative assessments will be calculated through quizzes, conversations, interviews, oral testing, visual testing, projects, practical and assignments.

CBSE has recently announced to conduct an aptitude and interest assessment SGAI on January, 2012. This aptitude test has been especially designed for class X students who are studying in CBSE affiliated schools all over the world. It is a special assessment tool which is offered to the students as an optional activity. The ever first edition of CBSE Students Global Aptitude Index (SGAI) was successfully conducted on 22nd January 2011. There were approximately 212466 students from 3225 CBSE affiliated schools who took this assessment. There were 3134 schools in India and 91 schools outside India.

The SGAI stands for Students Global Aptitude Index. A student appears for a simple paper and pencil indicator having multiple choice items. The total duration of the CBSE SGAI is about 2-2.5 hours. Efforts are on to make the assessment online very soon.

The CBSE assessment test SGAI is designed for the students of Secondary classes. This has been formulated to synchronize with adolescence and beginning of career concepts and planning. It acts as a guide to help the child work towards his future. Opposed to the conventional aptitude tests, this test would help by indicating the subject orientations of students at class XII level. It will also help by empowering the student with self-knowledge in terms of aptitude and interest. Thus, the child would be able to make informed subject choices in his educational career.

Another new move by the CBSE board is to conduct the National Informatics Olympiad in collaboration with the Indian Association for Research in Computing Science (IARCS), Mumbai, across the country and abroad. This examination would be conducted in two stages. Students from classes VII to XII studying in various CBSE schools and other schools as well, all over the country as well as abroad would be eligible for participation.

The first stage examination consisting of the Zonal Informatics Olympiad will be held on Saturday November 19, 2011 between 10.00 am and 01.00 pm. The examination will be a written examination to test the aptitude of the students, their logical competence, problem-solving skills and critical thinking.

Question papers from previous years and other training details are available at the National Informatics Olympiad website. But the CBSE has stated on their website that they will not reimburse expenses incurred by the School on travel, accommodation etc. of the students to participate in the First Stage of the Olympiad.

The CBSE board has also awakened to the need to train its teachers and impart modern day teaching practices to them. This really helps the teachers to understand their students in a better manner. Thus, the teachers learn the values beforehand that they need to teach to their students.

The Central Board of Secondary Education is the oldest educational board in our country. It has evolved and grown with the passage of time. It makes its best efforts towards providing the best education and values to the new generation of our country. The results of the recent reforms implemented in the CBSE system are visible from the first result onwards. CBSE has continued to do wonders for students over the years across the nation and abroad as well. It keeps them updated with the latest changes and advancements in the world around them. And the recent changes in the CBSE education system are remarkable and worth appreciation.

How to Get a Loan for the School?

Starting a new school is a tedious job although it requires a lot of knowledge of the requirements, understanding of the whole procedure and most of patience. One of the most difficult hurdles that the new owners come across is finding money for their business. Availability of finances is a very important pre-requisite for starting a school. The best likely sources of funds are your friends, families and savings. However, it is often recommended to consider the institutional sources also. These days various financial institutions, banks etc. provide loan facility to the customer. But for securing a bank loan, one needs to have a good previous track record. Therefore, assess and evaluate your present financial situation by detailing down the assets and the monthly income. Look for a dozen of alternatives and lenders that specialize in providing the loan facility.

Various steps can help to improve your chances of getting the required bank loan.

Remember in mind that banks need to make loans: Search for a bank or a financial institute that has granted loan to other familiar entrepreneurs in the education industry. Look for banks that indulge in small business financing because your business is new to the market.

Be thoroughly prepared before going to your banker's office to request a loan: You need to prove to the bankers that granting loan to you will prove to be an advantage and is a low-risk proposal. Before going to the bank, ensure that you have a completed loan application with the copies of the required documents.

Learn to answer every question that the banker has: Remember, that the most influential tool of cooperation and negotiation is the amalgamation of information and preparation. A confident, assured, thoroughly prepared borrower who provides answer to all the basic questions of the banker will have his/ her loan approved. To show the scope of your preparation, the business plan should also include answers to your banker's queries. These questions asked by the bankers include:

·         amount of money required

·         duration of the loan period of the loan

·         purpose of requirement of such an amount

·         date and mode of repayment of the loan

·         What will you do if you do not get the loan?

Avoid a negative attitude: oKeep your negativity away from you. Present yourself to a banker as an entrepreneur who has enough credibility in the market and will repay the loan and that to on time. Enhance your image in front of the loan officer by presenting him with a promotional material about your business like brochures, ads, leaflets, articles etc.

Dress in a specialized manner: This is one of the most important business transactions for your school, so dress in a professional manner when you go for a meeting with the loan officer. Your appearance will definitely enhance your image and will prove to be an advantage to you.

Make sure that all your documents are neat, readable, understandable, organized and presented in an attractive manner: Get all your loan documents typed as handwritten documents give an unprofessional, outdated look. Keep them in a nice business file.

Be confident: A positive approach with the confidence boosts your chances of getting the loan sanctioned. Demonstrate that your senior secondary school will lead to success and huge profits with the betterment of the society out of the money that the bank will lend to you.

Keep trying different financer until you get your loan: The best way is to give banker a reference from a successful entrepreneur, a colleague or a friend to improve your position. Find a companion, friend or associate that is in good standing with the bank to give you a good referral.

Lastly, keep this in mind that getting a loan for the first time is not an easy task as the bankers and the financing institutes grant loans easily to the old customers in comparison to the new ones because of the risk of credibility.

Formalities to Start a Formal School

Education sector is one such business opportunity to invest in that gives you sure results despite of recession or depression in the economy. The never-ending demand for schools in our country has opened up new dimensions in the education sector. Every year more and more people are stepping into the education sector and providing new ideas and concepts & taking our education system a step further.

But opening a formal school in our country isn’t a piece of cake. There are a multiple number of formalities to be followed to open a school. Although this makes the process a tedious & complex, still it’s magnetic enough to make people enter the education sector.

The detailed procedure and the formalities to open a school have been given below:

Evolve a vision & demonstrate leadership skills: To start a school a compelling vision is a true essential. There must be a vision to lead your way to your goal of forming a school of your own. You also must acquire strong leadership skills to lead the right path.

Register your school: In order to start a school of your own, first of all, you must register your school under the Societies Recognition Act, 1860 or as a trust constituted under any law for the time being in force. This is to prove the “nonprofit” motive of the society.

Establish a business plan:  A business plan is definitely required to describe your business goals. A plan helps to devise a proper analysis of your goals.

Decide the school site: Once the school has been registered and the plan made, you need to decide the school site. Either you are buying or leasing the land, you must choose a proper site.

Take professional support: The professional team is of great significance in building a successful educational institution. The various aspects such as curriculum, financial management, legal matters, marketing etc. must be handled by professionals to get best results.

Develop infrastructure: The school infrastructure must be well-constructed and developed. It is a significant part of setting up a successful formal school. The infrastructural facilities must fulfill all the requirements of the students.

Recruit school-head & teaching staff: The teaching staff is the key to success for a school. The principal & teachers of the school determine the quality of the school. They must be enthusiastic towards education.

Apply for recognition: Once the school has been set up, the school authority needs to apply for school recognition with the concerned authority. Application for up gradation has to be submitted with a minimum gap of 2 years.

Apply for affiliation: A school needs to apply for affiliation with either of the boards, whether CBSE or ICSE. In order to get affiliated the school needs to follow a proper syllabi and books.

Aggressive marketing: Aggressive marketing strategies are important to promote the school. Marketing & public relations just increase your school popularity.

Starting a school is a complex process but its results are worth the effort. The various formalities involved are just a part of it. The real experience of providing education to children is far more satisfying.