Unrecognised schools ordered to shut shop
The district elementary education department in Gurugram has issued notices to 163 unrecognised schools, mandating their closure and prohibiting fresh admissions. The list has been prepared after the schools failed to comply with the norms required for recognition till March 31, officials aware of the matter said on Thursday.
The department said that the unrecognised schools will not be allowed to operate.
Earlier this month, the education department released a list of 282 schools across the district that did not fulfil the recognition norms. Among them, 99 have applied for affiliations, 163 have been served notices and 20 have shut operations. Those who have been served notices, have been asked to respond, they added.
Muni Ram, district elementary education officer, said they have started working on filing criminal cases against these schools. They have asked police to probe and take actions against schools that admitted new students despite the government orders. “We have taken action and alerted police in the city, Pataudi, Farrukhnagar, Bilaspur and Manesar areas. The purpose is to urge police to file a case against the management of an unrecognised private school. The action is required as the school has proceeded with new admissions despite directives from the state government not to do so. The initiative will demonstrate a proactive approach in enforcing regulations and upholding the integrity of the educational system,” he said.
The Punjab & Haryana high court has from time to time directed the state government in the last 10 years to close all unrecognised private schools, said officials.
The Right to Education Act, 2009 also prohibits all unrecognised schools from practise, and makes provisions for no donation or capitation fees and no interview of the child or parent for admission.
The DEEO said that ample time was given to the unrecognised schools to meet the necessary requirements for recognition. “Despite this opportunity, these schools failed to comply with the norms within the stipulated time. Consequently, they were expected to discontinue their operations starting from the new academic session,” he said.
The officer said that some unrecognised schools have applied for affiliations with the Haryana School Education Board, CBSE and ICSE boards.
“We have come to know that 20 such schools have applied for affiliation with the Haryana School Education Board, but the board has not yet granted affiliation to them. These school will have to fulfil the criteria and norms for granting affiliation, then after thorough inspections affiliation will be granted to them,” he said.
Officials said that the admission process for government schools are still underway. The parents can approach their nearest government elementary school to get admissions for their children.