Govt initiates assessment of self-financed schools

Mumbai: The school education department has commenced an assessment of existing self-financed schools in the state and suspended the process of approving new schools till the assessment is complete

Mumbai: The school education department has commenced an assessment of existing self-financed schools in the state and suspended the process of approving new schools till the assessment is complete.

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Maharashtra has around 22,000 self-financed schools, which are not dependent on government aid and follow the syllabi of state as well as central boards. Set up in the past ten years, these schools comprise around 20% of total schools, catering to nearly 22% of the students in the state. Proposals for 1,500 new schools are currently pending with the school education department.

While the government has no control over self-financed schools, complaints have been raised in several quarters about them charging steep fees and violating norms pertaining to infrastructure, land use, and teacher’s salary, said school education minister Deepak Kesarkar.

Responding to these complaints, the minster has directed the commissioner of the school education department to assess the need for self-financed schools depending on the density of the population, compliance with norms, and quality of education. The department will also assess the compliance of these schools with the Maharashtra Self Financed Schools (Establishment and Regulations) Act, 2012.

“There is a need to shut down excess self-financed schools and not allow more schools in areas that already have enough of them, as feasibility is a key issue. We also want to ensure that required number of such schools are present in the rural areas and not concentrated in cities,” he said.

The assessment is likely to be completed in two months, and the process of considering applications for new schools will remain suspended till the report is ready.

Sanjay Tayade Patil, founder president of Maharashtra English School Trustees Association, welcomed the move and said strict action was necessary to ensure these schools provided affordable, quality education.

“There are hundreds of schools that grossly violate the norms of self-financed schools, especially in cities like Mumbai and Thane. The government should take stringent steps against them to ensure the quality of education,” said Patil.