The Education Department of Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has initiated legal action against four schools operating without the approval of the education department or the state government. These schools were served notices in the past. However, they continued to operate disregarding the corporation’s notices.
Ahead of the new academic year, NMMC declared 5 private schools under its jurisdiction unauthorized as they are run without state government approval. The civic body has published the name of the schools and appealed to parents not to admit their children to these schools.
School cannot be run without state approval
As per section 18 of the Right to Education Act 2009, no new school can run without the approval of the authority concerned. By the end of March 31, 2023, the civic body observed that the 5 schools in the NMMC area were being run illegally as they did not have approval either from the state government or the local body.
The civic body directed the management of these schools to ask parents to re-admit their children to government-approved schools nearby and also directed them to close their schools. However, the civic body found that they did not pay heed to the corporation’s notices and four of them continued to operate the school. The Municipal Commissioner Rajesh Narvekar directed the Civic Education Department to initiate criminal proceedings against the management of four unauthorized schools. Following the civic chief’s direction, the civic education department filed a formal complaint at the local police station.
Many unauthorized schools closed down in the past
As of the year 2000, around 35 unauthorized schools were found operating within the municipal area. Over the period, the Education Department repeatedly served closure notices to these unauthorized schools, and in some cases, notices of penal action were issued for non-compliance. Subsequently, a few of these schools were closed down, while others managed to obtain government recognition. However, four schools’ management disregarded notices and continued the functioning of schools illegally. Finally, the civic body took stern action against them.
List of schools operating without approval:
1) Al Momina School, Belapur
2) Ikra International School, Nerul
3) The Orchid International School, Nerul
4) Ilim English School, Rabale
