Gujarat: School management body seeks revocation of ban on trustees’ entry during board exams

Ahmedabad: With Classes 10 and 12 final exams in Gujarat scheduled to begin on Feb 26, a new issue emerged regarding the entry of school management representatives at exam centres. The School Management Association urged the education authorities to reconsider and revoke a recent resolution barring trustees and management members from entering school premises during the exam period.Earlier, the education department decided that school trustees and management representatives would not be allowed to enter exam centres while board exams were in progress. However, the association wrote to the secretary of the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB), requesting that the restriction be reviewed and relaxed.
In its representation, the association stated that many educational institutions are run by public trusts established purely for service. Trustees often reside in cities for business purposes but continue to guide and financially support schools in their native villages. They pointed out that the state govt does not provide financial assistance for constructing school buildings in granted schools. While salary grants are provided for teaching and non-teaching staff, maintenance grants are minimal and insufficient to meet rising expenses.The association further noted that schools bear the full cost of installing CCTV cameras and fire safety equipment, both mandatory for board exam centres. In rural areas, issues such as power outages also arise during exams, making the presence of trustees important. The management requested a detailed discussion in the next board meeting to reconsider the resolution and permit trustees entry under unavoidable circumstances.