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Context:
The Ministry highlighted the large number of unrecognised private schools in Jharkhand and Bihar during the Project Approval Board (PAB) meetings in March and April 2025. These meetings discussed the Annual Work Plan and Budget for the Samagra Shiksha scheme (2025-26) under the chairmanship of Sanjay Kumar, Secretary (School Education and Literacy).
Data from UDISE+ (Unified District Information System for Education Plus)
- Jharkhand:
- 5,879 unrecognised schools
- 8,37,897 students enrolled
- 46,421 teachers
- Bihar:
- 4,915 unrecognised schools
- 7,75,704 students enrolled
- 42,377 teachers
What is an Unrecognised School?
- A private school operating without official government licence or recognition.
Legal Framework: Right to Education (RTE) Act Provisions
- Section 19 of RTE Act (2009) requires schools established before 2009 to comply with RTE norms within 3 years of the Act’s commencement.
- RTE Norms include:
- Adequate infrastructure and maintenance
- Prescribed teacher-student ratio
- Qualified teachers
- 25% reservation in Class 1 for economically weaker sections
- Official government recognition
- Failure to meet norms leads to withdrawal of recognition and cessation of school operations.
What does Article 21A say?
- It guarantees free and compulsory education for children between the ages of 6 and 14
- It prohibits discrimination in education
- It ensures equal opportunities for education
- It removes financial barriers to education
- It provides adequate infrastructure, facilities, and qualified teachers
Right to Education Act (RTE) of 2009
The Right to Education Act (RTE) of 2009 guarantees free and compulsory education for children between the ages of 6 and 14.
- The RTE Act was effective from April 1, 2010.
- The RTE Act prohibits denial of admission to any child, irrespective of the time of year.
- The RTE Act also prohibits holding back or expulsion of any child until he completes elementary education.
- Globally
- The Abidjan Principles on the Right to Education were adopted in 2019 by a committee of international human rights law experts.
- The UN‘s Human Rights Council has passed a decision to establish a working group to consider the possibility of including early childhood care and education explicitly within the right to education.
Penalties for Non-Compliance
- Running a school after recognition is withdrawn may attract a fine of up to ₹1 lakh.
- Continuing violations may lead to a further fine of ₹10,000 per day until compliance.
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