The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has taken strict action against GD Goenka High School in Sohna, Gurgaon, suspending its affiliation for the entire 2026-27 academic year. This decisive step comes after the board's inspection uncovered multiple and serious violations of its affiliation norms, primarily concerning infrastructure sharing and student safety.
Key Violations and Discrepancies Uncovered
In its order, the CBSE highlighted a major discrepancy regarding the school's premises. The school claimed to be operating on a 7.68-acre plot with separate entry and exit within a larger 60-acre holding. However, this claim conflicted with data on the board's OASIS Portal, which listed the land area as 18,211 square meters as of September 18. More critically, a physical inspection on August 19 confirmed that the school was not operating in isolation.
The inspection committee found that three distinct institutions were functioning from the same campus and building: GD Goenka High School (CBSE), GD Goenka World School (IB board), and GD Goenka University. The CBSE school operated from portions of the ground and first floor on one side of a common reception, while the IB school occupied the other side, and the university functioned from the same premises. This arrangement directly violated CBSE bylaws clauses 14.10 and 9.1.3, which explicitly prohibit sharing school infrastructure with other institutions.
Serious Safety Concerns and Other Lapses
The board expressed grave safety and security concerns. The campus lacked a concrete boundary wall on all four sides, and the common reception for all three institutions posed a significant risk. CBSE warned that such a shared campus without physical segregation could expose school students to potential bullying, harassment, and unwarranted interactions with older university students, undermining the requirement for a fully secured campus.
Beyond infrastructure, the inspection report noted admission irregularities, including students admitted without proper transfer certificates from their previous schools. The school also lacked a mandatory composite science lab and failed to maintain documentation in compliance with CBSE bylaws, SOPs, and circulars.
Consequences and Corrective Directives
As a consequence, CBSE has barred the school from admitting new students into classes IX and XI for the upcoming academic session. However, taking a "sympathetic view" in the interest of current students, the board will allow those already enrolled in classes IX through XII to continue their studies at the same school, subject to stringent safety compliance.
The one-year suspension is intended to allow time for corrective action. The school has been directed to:
- Completely disengage the other institutions from its premises.
- Ensure exclusive use of the building and grounds by its students, with a separate entry and exit from the main road.
- Construct a six-foot-high concrete boundary wall around the campus to clearly demarcate the school land.
- Ensure no infrastructure or human resources are shared with any other institution.
- Establish a proper Composite Science Lab and maintain all records as per CBSE regulations.
The board stated that the school was not in a position to segregate the institutions into separate campuses in the short term. Times of India attempted to contact the school authorities for their comment but did not receive a response. The school's future affiliation now hinges on its ability to fully and strictly comply with all CBSE norms and bylaws within the stipulated timeframe.
