Maharashtra education dept proposes measures for unauthorised slum schools

By 2023, 16 more unauthorised schools were added to the tally, making it 210 in total. Representation pic

The state education department has a plan to handle unauthorised schools in slums. They want to sort out which ones deserve recognition and fit the criteria for regularisation. The cutoff is set at pre-2013 and post-2013 establishment. Suraj Mandhare, the state commissioner of education, stated that schools breaking rules might face closure for good.

Mandhare said, "Schools before 2013 need to follow 2010 government norms, and post-2013 ones must comply with the Maharashtra Self-Financed Schools Act. Those without proper land ownership, using fake documents, or not meeting any criteria won't be recognised. The process of scrutinising documents is currently on."

He emphasised the importance of schools and their role in society. Mandhare believes shutting them abruptly isn't the answer. Instead, they're seeking a thoughtful solution within the legal framework to maintain educational standards. Over a hundred school owners pleaded for leniency, especially since they cater to underprivileged students in slum areas. A circular in September addressed their concerns. It asked divisional education heads to gather data on these schools and recommend their approval.

The September circular stressed the importance of giving a clear recommendation for school approval based on government rules. Deputy directors were told to send this recommendation to the Education Commissionerate through a Google link. They needed to provide data on students, teachers, and school locations, along with a detailed approval recommendation. The submission had to strictly follow the guidelines from the government decision and the Maharashtra Self-Financed Schools Act, 2012, without any personal changes.

In the 2022-23 academic year, 269 unauthorised primary schools were found, with 62 shutting down. Thirteen got permission to operate privately, while 1,500 students from closed schools were relocated to nearby ones. The city had 194 unauthorised schools initially, but by 2023, 16 more were identified, making it 210 in total. About 30,000 students attend these schools.

In January, Krishna Kumar Patil, director of education (Secondary and higher secondary schools) ordered a crackdown to remove unauthorised schools by the next academic year. On April 25, Sandeep Sangwe, deputy director of school education (Mumbai) told officials to shut these schools and report by April 30. If they didn't act, they risked being named in legal action against the school management.

The Education Department shut 22 more schools in June, reducing the count to 187 due to violations under the RTE Act. In July, school owners formed the School Management Federation, pushing for relaxed criteria due to challenges in owning land and collecting deposits in slum areas. This concern was raised in the legislative assembly.

Shabana Khan, a federation member and school owner, said, "We're glad the government wants to help instead of shutting us down. But meeting land criteria and hefty deposits are impossible for us in slums. We just ask for relaxation of these norms for schools like ours operating from the slum areas."

269
No of unauthorised primary schools in the academic year 2022-23