Mumbai: It has been found that 674 schools in Maharashtra are unauthorised, with 238 of them located in Mumbai alone. There are 16 schools under the education department (schools affiliated with CBSE, ICSE, or any other board) and 222 schools under the BMC department (state board schools).
The unauthorised school list is based on information from the state government's Unified District Information System for Education (U-DISE), which indicates that these schools have not been approved or recognised by the education department. These unauthorised schools have not sought approval from the department of education, or did verified paperwork.
Students' unions and parents associations are demanding the government to take immediate strict action against these schools. "These unauthorised school need to be known by students and parents," said Amar Ekad, president of the Cops Students' Union. "The list of these schools should be published on the government's website, and immediate legal action should be taken against the state's 674 unauthorised schools to avoid students from losing their education," he added.
Unauthorised schools may face harsh punishment from Maharashtra's education government. After receiving approval from the department, schools must file a self-declaration with the District Education Officer within three months, ensuring that the school meets all of the requirements. If it is operated without authorisation, the school shall be punishable under section 18(5) of the Act and shall face legal action.
Maharashtra's director of primary education, Dinkar Temkar, stated, "The department must notify the schools, and if the school does not complete the requirements of recognition, action would be taken. We've initiated the procedure and alerted district education officers that if the school fails to provide the recognition, strict action will be taken against it."
