Mumbai: Govt set to shut down CBSE schools with fake NOCs

A probe has begun in Mumbai to verify the genuineness of schools' no-objection certificates for CBSE affiliations. The action comes after a racket was unearthed recently in Pune involving the sale of fake NOCs to institutions lacking adequate infrastructure as mandated by the CBSE.

Deputy director of education, Mumbai, Sandeep Sangave, has started mobilising resources to verify and examine the authenticity of NOCs issued to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) schools and conduct an inquiry. Officials said the state's school education department has ordered the inquiry.

Sangave said, "It will be complicated to share the number of schools here in Mumbai. However, we have started the inquiry to verify and cross-examine NOCs of all CBSE schools in Mumbai. This is in accordance with the instructions given by officials of the school education department of the state and the commissioner of education. A report of the same will be submitted to the authorities. But the process has just begun."

Currently, over 650 schools in other districts are being examined. Representation pic

According to the guideline, school administrators must obtain an NOC from the state education department for affiliation to private boards. Recently, it was learnt that several schools in Pune were using the CBSE curriculum even though they had not been granted NOCs.

"After scrutiny, it was found that several schools in Pune had obtained fake NOCs to run the show. We suspect it is a systematic racket and we are checking and scrutinising the NOCs of all CBSE schools in Maharashtra," said an official from the school education department.

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State education commissioner Suraj Mandhare has said schools with fake NOCs will be shut down and students will be rehabilitated in nearby schools. More than 650 CBSE-affiliated schools across the state are already under investigation.

The initial action would be the registration of an FIR against the erring school management and the person or racketeer from whom they obtained the fake certificate. Sources said a racketeer sold fake NOCs for Rs12 lakh each to schools that did not have the required infrastructure and facilities mandated by the CBSE.

"Maharashtra has more than 2,000 CBSE schools. While action has already been initiated in Pune, we will start verifying the NOCs in other districts, too. First, we will take possession of the NOCs from the schools then verify whether the certificates were issued by the state government. We appeal to all schools to put up a copy of their NOCs on their notice boards," said an official from the state school education department.

2,000
No of CBSE schools across the state