80% private schools in Mumbai await RTE approvals, blame Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation for delay

Over 80 per cent of the private schools in the city are yet to receive the mandatory approvals as prescribed under the Right to Education Act.

Alleging delay on the part of the education department of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the schools have decided to start an agitation on January 27.

Under the RTE, every school must comply with the regulations on the basis of fulfilling 10 infrastructure norms.

Schools should have been RTE compliant by August 31, 2013 and should have the renewed approvals for the same.

In July 2013, of the 1,702 schools in the city, 1,600 were not given the approvals on the grounds that they did not meet the necessary norms.

Following the rejection by the municipal corporation, principals said they had reapplied in August after fulfilling the requirements.

“After we complied with the required norms, we informed the education department to conduct necessary checks and issue the approvals. But they are yet to act on it,” said Prashant Redij, spokesperson of principals association, Mumbai division. Redij said the education department officials have not even made a visit to the schools to check the status.

“They have not even made a visit to the schools to check the status,” he said.

Principals are concerned that the stalled permissions will affect the schools during the admissions.

“These schools are tagged as unauthorized and this is very adverse for them during admissions because parents do not want to enroll their kids there fearing that it might be shut down some day,” said Redij.

However, an official from the BMC’s education department refuted the charges. “The extension of recognition is necessary for schools every three years under the RTE. In a city like Mumbai, we understand that many of these infrastructure norms cannot be met but we cannot pass the papers to the central government for approvals if the norms are not met,” said the official.

Delay likely to affect admissions
Principals are concerned that the stalled permissions will affect the schools during the admissions. “These schools are tagged as unauthorized and this is very adverse for them during admissions because parents do not want to enroll their kids there fearing that it might be shut down some day,” said Prashant Redij.