State to tighten rules on new private schools

Maharashtra plans to regulate private school growth, focusing on equitable distribution. Restrictions in advanced areas, leniency in backward regions, and improved oversight are key.

MUMBAI: To control the unregulated mushrooming of private schools across the state, the school education department, for the first time, has announced plans to develop a comprehensive strategy aimed at regulating the establishment of new schools. This initiative signals potential restrictions on the opening of new private institutions in specific areas, while considering more lenient regulations for schools in underdeveloped regions.

HT Image

The recent government decision outlines a framework under the Maharashtra Self-Financed Schools (Establishment and Regulation) Act of 2012 and its 2020 amendment. The Act currently governs the procedures for establishing new schools and upgrading existing ones on a self-financing basis. However, the distribution of these schools is uneven, with rural areas seeing fewer schools compared to urban centres.

As per the government resolution (GR), the state has appointed a committee, under the chairmanship of education commissioner Suraj Mandhare, to prepare a comprehensive plan for the equitable distribution of schools across the state. This plan will categorise areas into “ultra-advanced” and “backward” based on factors such as the number of existing schools, student population, and teacher-student ratio.

In “ultra-advanced” areas, where there are already sufficient educational institutions, the establishment of new schools may be prohibited, and stricter regulations could be imposed. Conversely, in educationally “backward” areas, the government may relax certain requirements, such as land area and fixed deposits, to encourage the development of new schools.

The plan also suggests that no new school should be allowed to open near an existing one unless the performance of the existing institution is deemed unsatisfactory. The government would retain the authority to establish new schools in such cases.

Additionally, the proposal highlights the need for a robust supervisory system to monitor the schools, ensure compliance with government initiatives, and conduct periodic inspections. It also calls for fee regulation and skilled manpower to support these efforts. The government has reserved the right to review and amend the rules every 10 years.

Vasant Kalpande, educationist, said, “This comprehensive planning effort follows a similar initiative from 1990. However, with an apparent oversupply of schools in the state and the closure of some private institutions, there is a growing emphasis on quality over quantity.” He stressed the importance of aligning with the National Education Policy (NEP) that focuses on improving educational standards and increasing financial provisions to support these reforms.