New Delhi: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), already in the eye of a storm, is again embroiled in controversy, this time because its regional offices have distributed an extensive social media toolkit among school principals, telling them to actively promote the CBSE’s new online grading system.
The instruction issued this week has led hundreds of schools, including prominent public schools such as Kendriya Vidyalaya and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya schools, to make videos on similar lines using various social media platforms.
According to a confidential memo titled “Material for Principals” accessed by media sources, the CBSE has asked principals to recite the lines as directed in the documents. In one of the statements, the document says that the CBSE must be referred to as “highly proactive, empathetic and communicative regarding these teething issues.”
This PR effort is launched following increasing concerns from parents and students about technical problems occurring in the recently introduced system of electronic evaluation. To combat the image of complete systemic failure, the board gave the principal ready-made phrases for use in their statements. One of the messages prepared by the board includes the following phrase: “Like the implementation of any technology on this scale, I realize that some bumps have occurred during the implementation process… Do not worry; I would like to assure each and every one of my students and parents that no one will have to pay the price for any technical problem.”
This well-coordinated PR campaign has been sharply criticized by educators and unions of teachers, who believe that requiring the principal of each school to work as an agent of the PR service creates a conflict of interest and compromises the transparency of institutions. According to critics, instead of using carefully worded scripts to hide “technical bumps,” the board should fix the bugs first.
Join our whatsapp group for Latest updates
Click Here for Chhattisgarh News
Click Here for Entertainment News