In the dark over number of private schools, Bihar govt in rush to finish count by 10 August

Order says unregistered schools will be fined. Private schools association, however, claims that education department has kept their registrations pending for a long time.

Representational image | ANI

New Delhi: Bihar government’s primary education department does not have authentic data of the number of private schools operating in the state, according to its order issued last week.

Reason? Applications for registration by private schools have been pending allegedly in the district offices of the education department.

According to the Right to Education (RTE) Act 2009, no school should be allowed to operate without proper registration. But applications for registration by private schools have been lying pending in the offices of district education department.

“We have to decide on the registration approval for private schools in a meeting, but for some reasons, the meeting has not been held for some time. So, the applications are pending in our district, but we will soon start work on this,” Siwan’s District Education Officer (DEO) Mithilesh Kumar told ThePrint.

“We have received orders from the education department to prepare a list of private schools that are not registered. We are working on this.” 

In its 20 July order, the education department said that only 11,192 private schools have registration. “However, it is estimated that twice this number of private schools are operating in the state.”

The department has warned that this is the last chance for the private schools functioning without the state government’s approval to get registered.

In the same order, Mithilesh Mishra, director of the primary education department,  directed DEOs to direct private schools to apply on the e-affiliation portal by 10 August.

“If any school does not apply on the portal for approval despite the stipulated period, then ensure action under the relevant rules of the RTE Act, 2009 and the Bihar State Free and Compulsory Education Rules for Children, 2011,” Mishra asserted.

संचालित निजी विद्यालय द्वारा प्रस्वीकृति लेने के संबंध में।#BiharEducationDept pic.twitter.com/TrU6D2xYY4

— Education Department, Bihar (@BiharEducation_) July 20, 2024

According to the order, a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh will be levied for not getting registered, and a fine of Rs 10,000 can be imposed per day, if the school operates beyond the deadline, in line with the RTE rules.

The DEOs were asked to hold a meeting with the nodal officers of private school organisations and work towards obtaining the required approval for all such schools operating in their districts.

Section 18 of the RTE Act stipulates that no private school can function without a Certificate of Registration, which can be issued to those schools that meet the prescribed norms and standards.

“There has been talk of improving the education system in Bihar since the time of (former additional chief secretary, education) K.K.Pathak. This is also a part of the same process. Private schools are operating arbitrarily. It is very important to bring them under a system,” an education official told ThePrint.

However, the official denied that the department has put the registration of private schools on hold.

ThePrint reached out to Mishra for a comment via phone call. His response is awaited and will be updated.

The crackdown on unregistered private schools began in May, when Pathak issued an order saying that an FIR would be lodged against any private school that issues transfer certificates without registration.

After Pathak was transferred in June, the responsibility of the education department was given to S. Siddharth, who is also engaged in improving the condition of Bihar’s school education system.

ThePrint had reported that Pathak suspended teachers, slashed salaries and struck truant students off rolls in an attempt to overhaul the education system.

‘Negligence of education officials’

According to the Private Schools and Children Welfare Association of Bihar, there are currently about 25,000 private schools in the state. Its members claim that the education department has kept the registrations pending for a long time and that the schools are not at fault.

“The registration is stuck due to the negligence of the education department officials. Thousands of private schools have already applied for affiliation and the primary director is also aware of this,” association president Syed Shamael told ThePrint,

He alleged that the education department has issued this order to hide its failure. “It is doing this to hide the shortcomings. Bihar is being defamed. The department should release the list of schools that are not registered, or have not yet applied for registration,” he said.

On 17 July, Shamael met Education Minister Sunil Kumar and highlighted the concerns faced by private schools.

“I told him that due to the arbitrary behaviour of the DEOs, the registration of private schools is not being done. The education minister called the director of primary education in front of me, and directed him to solve the problems of private schools immediately,” he said.

(Edited by Mannat Chugh)