Unauthorised schools play quot;transferquot; game

Yet, these institutions have been milking the 5,000-odd students on their rolls and now, the 150-200 candidates each one has admitted for the forthcoming academic year commencing this week. At the first hint of proposed raids by the MBMC, the schools prepare to simply transfer their students to the 10-15 recognised institutions in the area, as per an informal arrangement, and then merely take them back once the controversy dies. Not a single school has been raided till date, despite the MBMC8217;s knowledge of thegoings-on.

None of the trustees spoken to showed a trace of guilt. On the contrary, they claimed, they are helping harried parents put their children through school. quot;It is not unethical on illegal at all,quot; says Shobhnath Yadav, trustee of National School in Kharigaon, Bhayander East. quot;We cannot say no8217; to parents who plead with us to admit their children,quot; he adds. Of course not, for despite their precarious existence, most of them also cash in on the lucrative donation racket, charging between Rs 2,000 and Rs 15,000 per student.

Flaunting a laminated copy of permission given by the Charity Commissioner to set up a charitable trust, Yadav says, quot;This is the permission required to run a school.quot; While the schools thus have permission to set up a trust they have none to run a school, for which clearance from the state Education Department is a must. Schools then have to register with the local civic body. Reminded of the rules, Yadav admits that the school8217;s application is pending with the EducationDepartment. The transfer of students itself is easy, Yadav explains, adding: quot;It takes just a day or two to take care of the government officials.quot; After that, it8217;s back to business.

Lallan Tiwari, trustee of Fr Joseph Girls School, Navghar, says he is not perturbed. quot;I can always shift my students to another school, the Mother Mary High School, to save their academic year.quot; He is sure the arrangement will work since the latter is a recognised school of which Yadav himself is a trustee.

Tiwari also admitted that illegal schools seek donations, saying these are quot;waived if the candidates are related to or recommended by a politician from Bhayanderquot;. Says MBMC Education Officer P Z Gawli, quot;We have forwarded the proposals to the Education Department with recommendations but till the registration documents reach the school managements with their respective code numbers, the schools cannot stay open.quot;

But Gawli does not bother to build a case for the civic body. In fact, he couldn8217;t be more blase. quot;InMira-Bhayander, despite notices sent to such schools, no heed is paid.quot; Not a single raid has been conducted, he says, adding that intervention from influential persons including local leaders, political and otherwise, forces the MBMC to wink at the malpractices. quot;We have to succumb to political pressure and warnings from the higher-ups. When the MBMC sends officers to inspect the schools, the managements immediately telephone senior MBMC officials and shoo them away,quot; he reveals.

The Education Department, which is empowered to initiate criminal proceedings against erring school managements, has also not initiated any action. Parents, though, continue to line up outside unrecognised schools, which run classes to whatever level they choose. Says Nalanda Ramkrishna from Bhayander East: quot;We recently shifted to Bhayander. The main worry of my son8217;s admission has brought me to this school. It does not matter if it is recognised or not. It is education that matters,quot; she says, waiting outside one such school.Zube Ali And Harshad Tendulkar, outside the gates of another, echo the sentiment.

But they didn8217;t have long to wait. The admission process in illegal schools takes all of 10 minutes per candidate and much depends on how much money the parents bring along. Thane collector Dr Shrikant Singh, under whose jurisdiction Mira-Bhayander falls, claims he will initiate action against erring managements quot;very soonquot;, refusing to elaborate.

List of unrecognised schools