According to a survey conducted by the state education department this year, there are 97 illegal schools in Vasai-Virar. Of these, 69 are primary and 28 are secondary schools. Nearly 9% of the illegal schools in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) are in Vasai-Virar.
Moreover, according to the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC), there are 217 authorized schools in the region. This means that 31% of the schools in the region are unauthorized.
Education activists say that many of the illegal schools are not affiliated to the education board. They also run from unauthorized structures and are not recognized by the state education department.
The situation has become so dire that while the education department is unable to explain why the illegal schools are allowed, all authorized schools in the Vasai-Virar area have been directed to prominently display the recognition letter given to the institution.
The situation was completely different in the case of the student who died recently at Shri Hanumant Vidya Mandir High School. The investigation into her death revealed that the education department had put up a notice outside the school.
In this, the school was declared illegal. The school cleverly hid this notice, which was pasted on the board, under the school banner. As the population of Vasai-Virar is increasing, the number of illegal schools has also increased.
These cases are especially high in the eastern part of the city. Here, chawls and buildings are being built on encroached land and these unauthorized schools are being run from those buildings.
A survey by the education department has shown that out of 97 unauthorized schools, more than half, 66 schools, are in Pelhar.
Share
Tweet
