Nagpur: Over 4,000 schools — primary and secondary (private and Government-run) — in Nagpur district are being run by their managements without obtaining renewal recognition from Education Department. The department had launched the drive in 2010 making it mandatory to the school managements to obtain renewal recognition after every three years under Right to Education Act (RTE).
The department had conducted the drive in 2010 and 2013 when all the school managements completed the formalities. However, the department failed to conduct the drive in 2016. As a result, school managements did not get renewal recognition for the next three years.
Even after passing around two years, the department seems to be in deep slumber without bothering for renewal recognition of the schools. The new drive is again to be launched next year which means all these schools are being managed without compliance of the conditions.
One of the rules of RTE Act, 2009 says that all the schools must fulfill all the criteria that include availability of sports ground, laboratories, library, playing room, etc. If department notices any loophole it tells the school about it. Accordingly, it is expected that schools should remove the lacuna.
The system of the recognition was different before 2010. Deputy Director of Education gave the first recognition. After it, Education Officer (EO) used to give permanent recognition to the schools. The RTE, Act 2009 came into existence and things have started changing. RTE Act has made it clear that permanent recognition could not be given. Schools have to show about their progress, their upgradation, about playground, drinking water facility, etc. Government felt that after getting permanent recognition, schools would stop improving.
One Public Interest Litigation (PIL) is already being heard by the Bombay High Court, the prayer of it points out that schools get recognition without they possessing the required facilities. Surprisingly, the Education Department did not issue any orders in all these past two years.
It should have informed schools well in advance in 2015 about the renewal recognition drive to be carried in 2016. It did not inform. Schools kept themselves ready for the formalities to be conducted by the Education Department.
In fact till the schools get the renewal, the salaries of the teaching staff are to be stopped. Instead the department procured the undertakings from the schools wherein managements said that if the schools did not get recognition, the expenditure on the salaries of the teachers would be borne by them.
