Edu dept sets March 10 as last date for RTE registration

JAMSHEDPUR: The Jharkhand state education department has issued March 10 as the last date for over 700 private schools that have failed to register themselves under the Right to Education (RTE) Act 2009, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

The district education units under the state education department issued a public notice asking all the non-RTErecognised private schools to register with the RTE portal by March 10 or face action.

“All private schools (entrylevel Class-1 to Class-8) are requested to upload application and self-declaration for registration and recognition in the prescribed format and as per fixed parameters, standards, and conditions, latest by March 10, 2024, under sections of the Jharkhand Free and Mandatory Child Education Rights Rule-2011 and RTE Rules-2019,” the public notice, a copy of which is with HT, read.

“Before 2009, RTE registration was not mandatory for CBSE and ICSE affiliation. But it is now mandatory. CBSE and ICSE will grant affiliation only after schools are registered with the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) and RTE. There are 75-80 nonRTE recognised schools in East Singhbhum district alone. PostCovid-19 pandemic, many schools - some even running Class-1 to Class-5 in two rooms have also come up. A survey is needed to find the exact status and number which will start at the time of the new session,” Nishu Kumari, Jamshedpur district superintendent of education (DSE), told HT on Wednesday.

According to people close to the matter, the number of nonRTE recognised private schools in East Singhbhum district and the state might have doubled. As per a state government report in Lok Sabha in 2021, Jharkhand has 383 non-RTE registered private schools across the state.

Many schools, such as those running in two rooms or such makeshift arrangements will not get RTE registration at all. Under RTE, middle schools must own 1 acre of land in urban areas and 0.75 acres in rural areas. The schools also must have a 35:1 student-teacher ratio. Moreover, schools have to keep 25% of seats at entry level reserved for deprived sections and below poverty level (BPL) children,” said an education department official, not willing to be quoted.

AS PER A STATE GOVERNMENT REPORT IN LOK SABHA IN 2021, JHARKHAND HAS 383 NON-RTE REGISTERED PRIVATE SCHOOLS