Mumbai: Dy director of school education says he did his job

File photo

Two days after mid-day published a report about the directorate of education (primary schools) issuing a show cause notice to the deputy director of school education, Mumbai, for inaction against schools violating RTE norms, the latter has clarified that despite not submitting ‘Index II' (document mandatory under RTE act) the 218 schools cannot be declared unauthorised. Sangwe also said that he has replied to the show cause notice explaining the same.

Sangwe told mid-day that information shared by the complainants is "distorted" and "incomplete", as he has already issued orders to the BMC's education department to initiate action against schools violating norms.

In an emailed clarification regarding the matter to mid-day, Sangwe stated, "I was instructed by the directorate of education (primary), Pune, to inquire into the complaint received through Nitin Dalvi regarding taking action against unauthorised schools in the state, as per the provisions of the Right to Education (RTE) Act. According to the given instructions, through this office, the education officer of the department concerned, Brihannambal was informed about a report being submitted in this regard."

According to the email to mid-day, an official letter dated August 8, 2023, sent to Brihannambal stated that while extending the approval period of the primary schools run by private institutions in the BMC area, it is necessary to submit up-to-date no-damage and building stability certificates, as well as details on other physical amenities provided by the school management. "Only then these schools are granted an extension of the approval period."

The letter said there are 678 recognised private primary unaided schools in the BMC area, out of which 218 schools have not re-accredited Index-II. These 218 schools have been sent letters by the education department from time to time in this regard. "So it cannot be said that these 218 unaided schools are unauthorised. Therefore, it would not be appropriate to declare these schools as unauthorised and take action against them like unauthorised schools."

According to Sangwe, Nitin Dalvi was informed in a letter dated September 1 that a report on the matter was sent within the prescribed time to the directorate of education (primary) Pune.

Meanwhile, Dalvi and Prasad Tulaskar from the NGO Maharashtra State Student Parents Teacher Federation, who are the complainants in this matter, have raised concerns about the relevance of RTE norms in this case. "The failure of the state education department and BMC education department to take action against schools lacking RTE approval, which is a mandatory clause in the RTE Act, raises questions about the effectiveness of the RTE Act and its implementation. Despite sending reminders as claimed by the officials to non-compliant schools, it is evident that these institutions are not taking the education department and its officials seriously," remarked Tulaskar.

Dalvi said, "Under the RTE Act, it is a statutory requirement that no school can operate without a government-issued certificate of recognition. The BMC is responsible for granting recognition certificates to primary schools. Getting this recognition certificate and renewing it in the stipulated time is mandatory and it also ensures that the schools are complying with RTE norms. Even if these schools are unauthorised, like the deputy director Sangwe has been saying, they have to follow RTE Act. We have also sent a legal notice to the education department and the BMC in the matter."

Also read: Mumbai: Someone's stealing our customers with false claims, says Airtel

Applied after deadline

The BMC is the statutory body issuing the recognition certificate for primary schools. As per BMC officials, while some of the 218 schools have failed to renew their recognition for as long as 2016, some have applied after the deadline given to them.

Dalvi added, "The report they finally submitted in August seemed to us like the department is playing down the matter. We are not asking the department to declare these schools unauthorised, we have been only demanding that they be made to follow the RTE Act and its norms."

OfficialSpeak

Speaking to mid-day, Suraj Mandhare, state commissioner of education, said, "We have a proposal currently under consideration by the state government, aimed at addressing and resolving the ongoing issue. Our focus is on finding a practical approach to tackle the matter. At present, education officials are engaged in discussions with non-compliant schools to understand the reasons behind the lack of adherence to norms."

According to Mandhare, there are approximately 65,000 private schools in the state and if they all simultaneously submit renewal applications, it poses a logistical challenge for the department to thoroughly check and verify each proposal with the existing staff and machinery.

"To streamline the process and promote ease of doing business, I have suggested extending the renewal timeline from three years to five or 10 years. Education department officials may conduct random visits to inspect schools within their respective areas for compliance anytime during the year. This suggestion is currently under consideration. Meanwhile, our commitment remains ensuring that schools strictly adhere to the mandatory rules outlined in the Right to Education Act," he said.

Prominent defaulters

Some of the prominent schools that failed to get their RTE recognition/ approval renewed include Anandilal Podar High School (Santacruz), Raje Shivaji primary school (Dadar), St Michael's high school (Mahim), St Andrews High School primary section (Bandra). St Aloysius primary school (Santacruz), The Alexandra Girls High School (Fort) Gloria Convent (Byculla) St Pius X High School (Nahur), Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Vidyalaya (Borivali), Rustomjee Troopers (Dahisar), VPM's Vidya Mandir primary school (Dahisar).