Four Nalasopara schools booked for running illegally

“The FIR was registered against Pole Star English High School, Sharda Niketan High School, Sharda Vidya Mandir High School and Mohammadi Urdu Prathmik School after these schools were found operating despite notices,” Shailendra Nagarkar, senior police inspector, Tulinj police station, said

MUMBAI: An FIR has been registered against four schools in Nalasopara East after the education department found them to be running without permission.

Four Nalasopara schools booked for running illegally

“The FIR was registered against Pole Star English High School, Sharda Niketan High School, Sharda Vidya Mandir High School and Mohammadi Urdu Prathmik School after these schools were found operating despite notices,” Shailendra Nagarkar, senior police inspector, Tulinj police station, said.

The police said that they have registered the FIR under section 420 (cheating) and 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by a public servant) of the Indian Penal Code. Nagarkar said that they are preparing a report after verifying all the documents and will submit it to the education officers in Palghar.

“After the education department gives us a go ahead, we will arrest the owners of the schools, identified as Prem Singh, Sharda Tiwari and Adimuddin Maruk Sayyed,” Nagarkar added.

As the crackdown began on illegal schools this academic year, the education officers have prepared a list of 20 schools in Palghar, running without a no-objection certificate (NOC) or permissions from the state government. In January, the government had directed the education officers to act against illegal schools after which the schools identified have been given a deadline to close operations by June.

Earlier in 2021, the police had registered cases against 13 schools and given a notice to the owners, however, they were still operational, according to the education officers.

The police said the schools mentioned in the FIRs do not have any facilities for children like running water, bathrooms, playgrounds or even proper seating arrangement. “Many of these schools are running without teachers as they refuse to come to school due to a meagre salary of ₹3,500 per month,” an officer said.

The officers also said that the owners of the school, however, contest that they are providing education to poor children by charging a paltry fee of ₹200 to 300 per year.