Delhi removes land-size rule for recognition of unaided private schools

The revised norms came into effect immediately and supersede a DoE order dated May 28, 2014, which had prescribed fixed minimum land-area requirements.

The Delhi government’s Directorate of Education (DoE) on Monday announced that it has removed the fixed minimum land-area requirement for unaided private schools seeking recognition, extension of recognition or upgradation, allowing such schools to be assessed under the norms of their respective affiliating boards.

Delhi education minister Ashish Sood clarified that the move has come amid high population density in the capital (@ashishsood_bjp/X)

DoE, in an order dated August 26, said it “shall not prescribe any fixed minimum land area as a condition” for granting or extending recognition or approving upgradation of unaided private schools. Instead, any minimum land requirement for affiliation will be governed by the norms of the concerned education board.

The revised norms came into effect immediately and supersede a DoE order dated May 28, 2014, which had prescribed fixed minimum land-area requirements.

Affiliation to education boards

DoE, however, clarified that its recognition will remain subject to the Delhi School Education Act and Rules, 1973, the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, and the Delhi Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules, 2011.

It also clarified that recognition by the directorate does not amount to affiliation or exemption from the requirements of the concerned affiliating board or any other statutory authority.

This means private schools will still have to meet the separate infrastructure and land requirements prescribed by the education board with which they seek affiliation. For instance, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has its own land-related requirements under its 2018 affiliation bylaws.

Delhi education minister Ashish Sood had announced the relaxation in July, saying the earlier land norms had been eased in view of the city’s high population density. “The minimum land area requirement previously mandated for the registration and setting up of private schools has been relaxed, acknowledging Delhi’s high urban density to allow institutions to emerge closer to residential clusters without compromising on structural safety or educational quality,” his office had said.

Sood had said the move was aligned with the RTE Act, under which recognition is linked to compliance with prescribed norms covering physical infrastructure, safety, teacher qualifications and pupil-teacher ratios. “This reform brings Delhi’s rules into complete alignment with the central RTE Act, ensuring that school recognition is based on transparent standards rather than subjective hurdles,” he had said.