Three years on, hundreds of illegal schools still operate in Maharashtra despite shutdown orders, ETEducation
Mumbai: Three years after the issue first came to light, hundreds of schools across Maharashtra continue to operate illegally without govt recognition or regulation, even after repeated directives to shut them down. While some action has been taken, official data shows that many institutions remain outside the education department’s oversight, and the overall situation remains unclear.Of the 674 unrecognised schools, 560 are primary and 114 are secondary institutions. According to officials, 239 are in Mumbai, 148 in Thane, 143 in Palghar, and 34 in Pune. Most are affiliated to the state board, though a few CBSE and ICSE schools have also been found functioning without authorisation.
Under Section 18(5) of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, schools operating without recognition are liable to a fine of Rs 1 lakh, and an additional Rs 10,000 per day for continued violation.
Yet, enforcement has remained inconsistent.
In May 2022, when the list of illegal schools first became public, then education minister Varsha Gaikwad had promised immediate action against institutions running without a no objection certificate (NOC) or departmental approval. However, no significant steps were taken in the following months.
By Jan 2023, the director of secondary education issued another order instructing divisional officers to identify and close unrecognised schools before the new academic year. Despite this, hundreds of schools remained operational.
An RTI query filed by education activist Nitin Dalvi revealed the most up-to-date data as of Jan 2024, showed that in Mumbai, FIRs were filed against 25 illegal schools, 12 were shut down, and 24 were fined out of the total 239 unrecognised institutions.
Mahesh Palkar, director of secondary education, said, “Most illegal schools are concentrated in and around Mumbai, Pune, and Nagpur. Unregistered schools in other parts of the state have already been shut down. The main problem with closing those in large cities is finding space for displaced students in nearby recognised schools. A heavy-handed approach wouldn’t help anyone — shutting all schools without ensuring places for the children would hurt their future.”
The issue remains unresolved, with schools continuing to operate in a regulatory gap while authorities weigh compliance against the potential disruption of student placements.
Source link
