In Mumbai, an association of parents uncovered that 218 unaided private primary schools under the purview of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) education department were running without Right to Education (RTE) approval. One of those schools was IES Bhandup School. The education department granted RTE approval to the school in March 2023 after an 11-year gap, even though the school had been operating without any RTE approval from 2013 to 2021.
Education activist Nitin Dalvi revealed that IES Bhandup School purposely did not renew its RTE approval because filing for RTE required the school administration to submit their balance sheet to the government and parents every year. If the balance sheets reflected financial irregularities such as illegal fees, donation, and rent, the school administration would be in trouble and the RTE approval would not be renewed.
Dalvi criticized the education department and BMC for not investigating or taking action against larger schools like IES Bhandup School and instead targeting smaller unauthorized minority schools. A BMC officer claimed that the RTE recognition given to the school was issued by error and would soon be revoked, but currently, they are investigating the matter.
When reached out for comment regarding the matter, the IES Bhandup School administration refused to comment. It is unclear if they will face any consequences for operating without RTE approval for eight consecutive years.
This incident highlights the need for increased transparency and accountability in the education system to ensure that all schools, regardless of their size or influence, are held to the same standards and regulations. As this story continues to develop, it will be interesting to see what actions the BMC and education department take to rectify the situation and prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.
