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Unqualified teachers, poor infrastructure, and 239 “unrecognised” schools in Mumbai, but their liquidation could endanger 5,000 children

BMC promises to send warnings and take action "shortly." Schools that serve underserved populations claim they have filed for recognition, but the procedure is cumbersome.

Mumbai: To get to class, the 200–250 students of a modest school must first walk down a short hallway and then climb a decrepit iron ladder in the Mankhurd neighbourhood of Mumbai. There are 30 uniformed students jammed together in a tiny, poorly ventilated classroom. Even the fans just circulate warm air because of the asbestos sheet roof’s ability to keep the space warm.

Another 30 kids are attempting to learn in the stifling atmosphere in a similar classroom, separated by a little office.

Given that the Maharashtra government and the city’s civic body, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), have judged this school to be “unrecognised” and, therefore, not entitled to operate, it is remarkable that it is even having courses.

The state education department releases a list of “unrecognised” schools each year, which indicates that they lack a permit or other authorization from the government to operate. Most of them do not meet minimum standards for safe infrastructure, classroom size, student to teacher ratio, and so on.

According to a government directive published by the department in January and seen by ThePrint, 674 schools in Maharashtra will not be permitted to operate in 2020–21.

With 239 of these schools and a total enrollment of nearly 5,000 kids, Mumbai has the highest concentration, followed by Thane (149) and Palghar (143).

“We gather the information through the website for the UDISE [Unified District Information System for Education], a centrally managed government database for schools. Then, however, we request that our district-level investigators investigate these schools to determine whether they are actually unrecognised. Only after they confirm do we create a final list, a state education department representative told ThePrint.

“We then send out ads in the newspapers to let parents know about these schools so that they can avoid taking admission in these. If the schools are still running, as per RTE [Right to Education Act], they are given a penalty of Rs 1 lakh,” the official added.

In the instance of Mumbai, the BMC gives the state government information regarding schools. Notably, some of the schools from the BMC’s list from the previous year were included once more in the compilation by the state government.

At least 10 schools from the “unrecognised” list were operating when ThePrint visited Mankhurd in the Shivaji Nagar neighbourhood of Mumbai. Due to their affordable tuition and close proximity to low-income areas, all were in dreadful condition and had rudimentary classroom facilities, but they were still in high demand.

However, the administration of several of these schools asserted that they had sought for recognition but that the procedure was cumbersome and that they were giving underprivileged populations access to education.

Speaking to ThePrint, BMC education department official Raju Tadvi said notices would be sent and action taken soon. “We can’t just close down these schools in the middle of the academic year because it involves around 5,000 kids and their future. However, we will start penalising these schools now,” he said.

 

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