New Delhi, Feb. 15: Private secondary schools may soon have to follow government guidelines that aim to make them “socially responsible”.

The human resource development ministry has told a parliamentary committee that it will prepare “common national parameters” along the lines governing Kendriya Vidyalayas that all secondary schools will have to follow.

“The reason behind the move is to prevent a scenario where schools, through their individual policies, perpetuate existing divides in society,” a senior ministry official said.

Although the plan is at a nascent stage, officials said the government would consider regulating fees. “The idea is to ensure no student is denied education because of any reason other than merit. Any socio-economic barrier is unacceptable,” an official said.

The Kendriya Vidyalayas, set up in 1965 as part of India’s first grand school education expansion programme, will be the archetype. The officials said the “common parameters” would be modelled on the experience of the central schools.

“The Kendriya Vidyalayas may no longer be as sought-after as they once were, especially for those who can afford private schools for their children. But they still maintain very high standards, and their experience will guide us in forming the parameters,” the official said.

The government’s plan is the first step towards a “common schooling system”, an idea educationists have repeatedly mooted.

When the UPA first prepared a draft bill on the right to education, academics had said that without a common schooling system some students would be “destined to only study in the worst of institutions because of financial or other considerations”.

But the government is aware that regulating private schools alone will not ensure that every child goes to school.

The Prime Minister had announced on Independence Day last year that his government was planning to build 6,000 “model” schools during the 11th five-year plan. These schools, the ministry has decided, will be built and run along the lines of the Kendriya Vidyalayas.

Each child will have access to a secondary school within 5km and a higher secondary school within 10km of his/her home, the ministry said.

Of the 6,000 model schools, 500 will be Kendriya Vidyalayas and 500 Navodaya Vidyalayas. Another 2,500 schools, modelled on the Kendriya Vidyalayas, will be run by state governments. The remaining 2,500 schools will be set up using a “public-private partnership” model.