Warning posters put on the gates of school

“This school is running for one year without government recognition. If you admit your children in this school, you will be doing so at your own risk.” This warning message appears on posters pasted on gates of many unrecognised schools in the twin cities. With complaints pouring in against schools mushrooming in every nook and corner, collecting huge amount in name of admissions, the District Educational Officers (DEOs) of Hyderabad and Rangareddy have decided to crack the whip on unrecognised schools. Reportedly, most corporate and private schools are running without any government authorisation.P Suseendhra Rao, district educational officer, Hyderabad told Express they have taken serious note over complaints lodged by parents and various organisations on illegal schools. “No private school can function without government recognition. If they are found running without proper authorisation, we will take strict action,” said Rao. “We have constituted a few teams who will visit all schools located in city checking their recognition thoroughly. If the school is found guilty, we will not hesitate to serve a notice to the management to close them down. Our staff will also paste a poster alerting unsuspecting parents about the school running without any recognition,” he added.For school to be awarded recognition, school managements should comply with certain rules and regulations. The school building should have a registered property lease, pay Rs 25,000 towards endowment fund for primary and upper primary schools and Rs 50,000 for secondary schools. Besides, they should also obtain a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), Fire department, traffic police and have a 1000 sq m playground along with a library, laboratory and sanitary facilities, said the DEO. Suseendhra Rao said that notices have already been served to at least 16 schools running without proper recognition. He further said out of around 3,000 schools in the city, more than 300 unauthorised schools are functioning without any recognition. “We will continue the drive to crack down on illegal schools. We will also book criminal cases against such school managements,” Suseendhra Rao said.

By Mouli Mareedu

moulimareedu@gmail.com