State working on bill to clear ending proposals on schools

Education minister promises to act on over 2,500 applications to start unaided schools and introduce fee regulation

Education minister promises to act on over 2,500 applications to start unaided schools and introduce fee regulation

There is finally some good news for the thousand of applicants waiting to start an unaided school in the state. The education ministry has been flooded with request from private people to start schools, but the government has not given them the permission yet. MiD DAY had reported on June 30 that the 2,500-odd applications had been received to start new schools but was stuck in Mantralaya red tape, as political parties do not see eye to eye on the issue of granting permission.


Moulding futures: The education minister said the bill for unaided
schools would be introduced in the winter session of the state cabinet.
Representation pic

In the city yesterday to inaugurate the e-learning facility at the Camp Education Society, state education minister Rajendra Darda made the announcement that his ministry was working on a new bill, The Self Finance School Bill, under which private parties who have applied can start a school without government aid. The clause, however, would be that they follow all guidelines under the Right to Education Act as well as state notifications from time to time.


Upbeat: Rajendra Darda, state education minister

Promising to introduce this bill in the winter session of the state cabinet, Darda said that the education ministry had arrived at an estimate of new schools needed by doing a geographical mapping of schools in state.
"We even issued a GR with areas that needed schools and invited suggestions and applications from people.

Though we received many applications, we have to realise that we can't fund all schools and that's why we are giving permission to unaided schools," said Darda. The GPS mapping has first identified schools needed in rural areas and a similar exercise would be repeated for urban areas soon.

Questioned on the much promised Fee Regulation Act, i.e a law to regulate fees in private unaided schools, Darda said that a joint committee has been formed and seven meetings have been conducted so far. "The final meeting is on July 25 and the final draft would be ready by then," he said.