Schools of Excellence with more autonomy proposed

Time of India

02-07-2025

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat govt has prepared a proposal to establish 'Schools of Excellence' (SoE), wherein 1% of the state's 20,000 secondary schools will be developed into SoEs by offering them "greater autonomy in fee structuring and academic planning".
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Govt and govt-aided secondary schools are not mentioned in the current notification. The proposal also grants the self-financed secondary schools "partial exemption" from the state's Fee Regulation Act of 2017.
According to the policy note, the move is designed to encourage innovation and academic rigour.
"By allowing these self-financed schools greater freedom, rather than subjecting all schools to a uniform fee structure, (the policy) will encourage them to focus on academic and co-curricular activities, striving for continuous improvement," the document states.
It further anticipates that, "SoE model will lead to 100% pass rates in board exams, improved individual student performance, and stronger outcomes in competitive exams such as NEET and JEE.
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However, the proposal has raised concerns among a section of senior govt officials and education experts. They argue that the criteria for SoE designation — such as board exam pass rates of 99–100% for Classes 10 and 12, minimum class sizes of 60, and average scores of 80% and 75% respectively — are likely to favour schools with already high fee structures.
"The criteria that the policy propounds may favour institutions that are already well-resourced," one official noted.
GSHSEB secretary R R Vyas confirmed that discussions are underway. "SoEs will be given to schools on the same basis as Centres of Excellence for colleges. We are seeking suggestions and objections from various stakeholders. In Gujarat, we are approaching all schools affiliated to GSHSEB, CBSE, ICSE, and IB.
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These schools come under the Fee Regulatory Committee (FRC)."
Experts also state that exempting SoEs from existing fee caps — currently set at 15%, 25%, and 30%. "This may affect the FRC's regulatory purpose designed to keep education affordable," said a senior education department official.
The policy, meanwhile, outlines a multi-tiered oversight mechanism. "A scrutiny committee will evaluate applications, including proposed fee structures and five-year development plans." While an "empowered committee", will approve proposals and monitor performance, with authority to inspect schools. SoE status will be reviewed every three to five years, and schools failing to meet criteria will be given one year to comply before being removed from the list," the policy note says.
The govt is inviting feedback on proposed changes.
Stakeholders can submit suggestions via email to [e-mail] by July 11.