PCMC declares 6 schools illegal, orders them to be shut down

The education department said if any school was to be started under the Right to Education Act, it should duly seek permission from the civic body. “However, there are several schools that admit students even though they don’t have the permission. Last year, there were 17 such schools. This year, there are six such schools.”

Education officials said parents should first verify if the school was legal or not and only then they should admit their wards. “If a child is admitted in a school that is not authorised, there is danger that the child might lost one academic year. Therefore, parents need to remain alert and be aware of the legal status of the school. If they have any confusion, they should check with the PCMC education department,” said a PCMC spokesperson.

Activist Shridhar Chalkha said, “These schools are run because the PCMC deliberately turns a blind eye towards them. The PCMC has the power to impose penalty on them. The penalty amount is up to Rs 1 lakh. And still if the school continues to run, the PCMC can slap a fine of Rs 10,000 for each day. However, this action is never taken and, therefore, schools continue to run illegally.”

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