Maharashtra: Unauthorised slum schools may get RTE nod

The schools requested for relaxation of certain norms as they were catering to underprivileged students. Representation Pic

The Maharashtra government has initiated a process to review the criteria for granting approvals to unauthorised schools operating in slum areas across the state. In a circular issued earlier this month by the State Education Commissionerate, Deputy Director of Education, all Municipal divisions have been instructed to collect comprehensive data about such schools and submit their recommendations for approval.

This development comes as a relief to over a hundred schools that have appealed for compassionate consideration of their situation. The schools had requested the relaxation of certain norms, particularly due to their operation from within slum areas, catering to underprivileged students.

The circular states that a definitive recommendation for the approval of the school, in alignment with the relevant government decision and legal provisions, must be promptly submitted to the Education Commissionerate at the earliest. This data should include the number of students, teachers and the locations of operation, and must be accompanied by a detailed recommendation for school approval.

During the submission process, it is imperative to complete the scrutiny chart diligently, adhering strictly to the guidelines outlined in the aforementioned government decision and the Maharashtra Self-Financed Schools (Establishment and Regulation) Act, 2012, without exercising any discretion in the information provided.

"I had given a proposal to the state government to review the parameters so that schools occupying less than 5,000 sq ft area or with smaller FDs but having qualified teachers can be regularised. The state government had in principle approved the proposal, following which we began the process of analysing the situation on the ground and reviewing the parameters for approval. Once details from all districts about these unauthorised schools, number of students etc. is received, a decision will be taken in this regard," State Education Commissioner, Suraj Mandhare said.

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In the annual survey conducted by the BMC's Education Department for the academic year 2022-23, it was discovered that 269 primary schools were operating without authorisation. Of these, 62 schools had shut down, while 13 managed to secure government permission to operate as private self-financed schools. To prevent academic disruption for 1,500 students from these 62 closed schools, they were transferred and accommodated at other nearby schools.

30k students enrolled

This brought the total count of unauthorised schools in the city to 194. In the year 2023, an additional 16 unauthorised schools were identified and added to the list, bringing the total to 210. It's worth noting that approximately 30,000 students are enrolled in these 210 schools. The crackdown on these schools intensified after Director of Education (Secondary and Higher Secondary Schools), Krishna Kumar Patil, issued an order to his subordinates in January, with the aim to eliminate unauthorised schools from the state by the next academic year.

On April 25, Deputy Director of School Education (Mumbai), Sandeep Sangave, issued a notification instructing officials to close down such schools by April 30 and submit a report. On May 4, another notification by Sangave stated that officials failing to take action against unauthorised schools in their jurisdiction would be named as co-accused in FIRs against the school management.

In June, BMC's Education Department closed 22 of the 210 unauthorised private schools in Mumbai, while one secured permission to operate as private self-financed school. The BMC action was taken in accordance with Section 18 (5) of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009. According to this section, anyone or any organisation operating a school without the necessary certification of recognition, or continuing to run a school after withdrawal of recognition, must close it down and may be subject to a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh, with an additional Rs 10,000 for each day of continued contravention. As a result, the number of unauthorised schools in Mumbai city has now decreased to 187.

In July, the owners of these schools formed a federation called the School Management Federation, advocating for relaxed criteria for obtaining recognition. According to the federation, many of these schools are located in slum areas where owning 5,000 sq ft of land is practically impossible. Additionally, with these schools charging minimal fees, they argue that accumulating substantial fixed deposits is unfeasible. The matter was then raised in the legislative assembly.

187
No of unauthorised schools in city