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The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) today cancelled the affiliation of a school in Jaipur where a 9-year-old girl, a Class 4 student, died by suicide on November 1.
In a detailed eight-page order dated December 30, the CBSE said the incident exposed "grave, flagrant and wilful non-compliance" with mandatory child safety norms, concluding that the Neerja Modi School was "not fit for continuation of affiliation".
The board described the case as one involving systemic failure, negligence, and lack of accountability, adding that the tragedy was entirely preventable.
What The CBSE Found
According to the official order, a two-member fact-finding committee appointed by CBSE conducted surprise inspections, examined CCTV footage, interacted with staff and parents, and reviewed school records. The findings revealed multiple serious lapses:
- No safety grills or steel nets in open areas on upper floors
- No effective CCTV surveillance of student movement and failure to preserve footage
- No vigilant or dedicated staff monitoring corridors and staircases
- Absence of a functional counselling mechanism
- Non-existent or non-functional anti-bullying systems
- Repeated complaints by parents about bullying were ignored
- Teachers, staff, and students found without identity cards
- No floor-level supervision, the child's movement to the fourth floor went unnoticed
Most critically, the CBSE noted that the bloodstained area at the site of the fall was cleaned almost immediately, which it said amounted to tampering with potential forensic evidence.
"The removal of vital material evidence within minutes of the incident demonstrates a serious breach of legal and procedural obligations," the order stated.
Counselling And Bullying Failures
The Board rejected the school's claim that the child was happy and academically active, stating that such arguments were irrelevant to the core issue of safety compliance.
"It is evident that despite repeated approaches by the parents, the school confined its response to discussions during Parent-Teacher Meetings, without initiating any structured or proactive intervention," CBSE said.
The absence of documented counselling, referrals, or remedial action, the Board added, reflected a complete failure of the safeguarding mechanism mandated under affiliation by-laws.
School's Defence Rejected
Neerja Modi School argued that it had complied with building safety norms, fire safety regulations, and had constituted mandatory committees. CBSE dismissed these submissions, stating:
"Mere possession of structural or fire safety certificates cannot substitute mandatory child safety measures required under the Affiliation By-Laws."
The Board also noted that documents submitted showed committees existed only on paper, with no evidence of meetings, actions, or case handling.
'Completely Preventable Incident'
In one of its strongest observations, the CBSE said:
"The only answer to the fundamental question is that this incident was completely preventable had the required provisions been followed."
The failure to monitor the child after she left for the washroom, the Board said, was a serious lapse of duty of care.
CBSE's Final Orders
Based on the findings, CBSE imposed the severest penalty available under its rules:
- Affiliation up to Senior Secondary level withdrawn with immediate effect
- Class X and XII students allowed to appear from the same school for the 2025-26 session
- Class IX and XI students to be shifted to nearby CBSE schools by March 31, 2026
- No new admissions or promotions to Class IX and XI allowed
- School may apply for restoration up to secondary level only after one academic year, from 2027-28, subject to full compliance
- Senior secondary affiliation can be sought only after two additional academic years
- The future of Classes I to VIII will be decided by the Rajasthan State Education Department
'Zero Tolerance On Child Safety'
CBSE underlined that schools are expected to be "safe havens for children" and warned that violations impacting student safety strike at the very foundation of affiliation.
"Such negligent actions constitute serious breaches directly impacting student safety and warrant strict and immediate action," the Board said.
The order has been issued with the approval of the Competent Authority of the CBSE and sent to the school management for compliance.
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