The Directorate of Education, Government of Maharashtra launched a major crackdown against institutions operating without mandatory Government recognition in 2025-26. During the period, the Directorate identified 11 unauthorised institutions in the division of which it shut down five and filed criminal cases (FIRs) against managements of four illegal schools. This was revealed by the Directorate of Education in a query made by Right To Information (RTI) activist Abhay Kolarkar, recently. As per the data provided by the Department, out of 11 such schools, eight are in Nagpur district. The five schools which were shutdown by the Department also are in Nagpur district while FIR has been filed against the management of two schools in the district. Also, it was revealed that Bhandara district has two unauthorised schools while Gadchiroli district has on such school.

 

The Department has filed FIRs against both schools in Bhandara district whereas no action has been initiated against the school in Gadchiroli, so far, as the matter is sub judice. The authorities identified 526 unapproved schools operating across Maharashtra, with Mumbai reporting the highest 452 such schools. Pune division has 53 schools followed by Nagpur (11 schools), Nashik (4), Chhattrapati Sambhajinagar (4), and Amravati (2). The Education Department issued closure for 23 schools in Mumbai division and registered FIRs against 49 schools in the division. The FIRs have been registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the

 

Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009. Unapproved school managements also faced heavy financial penalties up to Rs 1 lakh under Section 18 of the RTE Act along with permanent closure orders, claimed the RTI reply. As per the Department, these schools are operating using only a preliminary ‘letter of intent’ rather than final approvals from the authority. Even these schools are functioning without formal State or board recognition. Along with these, the schools have been ignoring repeated legal notices issued by local municipal corporations and education inspectors. Parents are strongly advised to verify a school’s legal status and credentials via the official U-DISE+ Portal or local education office records before finalising admissions. Whereas, recognised schools are mandated to prominently display their government recognition order numbers, UDISE numbers, and board affiliation certificates on their building facades and notice boards.