Facing threat of closure, unrecognised schools in Capital hold protest

Thousands of representatives of unrecognised public schools staged a protest at Jantar Mantar on Saturday demanding that such schools be recognised. HT reports.

Thousands of representatives of unrecognised public schools staged a protest at Jantar Mantar on Saturday demanding that such schools be recognised.

There are scores of unrecognised schools in the Capital that are facing the threat of closure unless an appropriate amendment is not introduced in the Master Plan of Delhi 2021. As per provisions of Section 18 of the Right to Education Act 2009, these schools will have to be closed from April 1, 2013.

"After March 31, the schools that are not recognised are liable to pay a one-time penalty of Rs 1 lakh and Rs 10,000 per day. This may lead to closure of thousands of schools in Delhi. These schools can't be regularised as they don't meet the present land norms required for primary school recognition. The owners of private school, school children as well as their parents are being harassed by the Delhi government," said RC Jain, president, Delhi State Public Schools Management Association.

Delhi education minister Kiran Walia said the Delhi government has already taken up the matter with the central government for revising land norms in Master Plan for Delhi 2021.

Walia stated that with the implementation of RTE Act, 2009, it has become necessary to review land norms in respect to primary and elementary schools.

"The Delhi chief minister has already taken up the matter with the Union urban development minister and the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi on this issue. Though norms are required to ensure minimum level of satisfactory infrastructural facilities to the students, considering the ground reality of Delhi, it may not be possible for unrecognised schools to fulfill the land norms provided in the Master Plan for Delhi 2021 to get recognition," said Walia.