The South Point High School campus in Ballygunge Place. A Telegraph picture

Students of South Point High School, now affiliated to the state-run Madhyamik board, will have the option to write the CBSE exam from 2012.

The state government has granted the MP Birla group school’s wish to follow the Bengal board and CBSE curricula simultaneously.

Once the CBSE grants the affiliation, the students will have the option to switch boards before Class IX or after Class X.

“The state government last Monday gave us the no-objection certificate to run CBSE courses. We had applied for dual affiliation more than a couple of years ago,” said Krishna Damani, of South Point.

The institution has already applied to the CBSE authorities for recognition. “If the recognition comes this year, the curriculum will be introduced in 2010. Students in Class VIII will be given the option to choose the curriculum of their choice for the Class X board exam in 2012.”

Many schools across the country have been seeking dual affiliation following a sharp rise in the number of parents who shift from one city to another, and even move abroad, for professional reasons.

“Many prominent schools, especially those affiliated to the state board, are seeking dual affiliation to attract the children of parents coming from other cities. South Point High School has been granted the permission to run CBSE courses along with Madhyamik and Higher Secondary curricula. We are considering similar pleas from a number of other English-medium schools affiliated to the state boards,” said Sukumar Mahapatra, the joint secretary in the school education department.

Since the trend is new, the government has decided to allow dual affiliation after verifying whether the institution concerned has the infrastructure, financial capability and staff strength to run two curricula.

Every board has its own rules for space, staff strength and infrastructure that the affiliated institutions are required to follow.

“Only those schools that can meet the criteria of the boards will be allowed to have dual affiliation,” said Mahapatra.