Allegations fly thick and high Pvt schools allege ‘manipulation’ in recognition cancellation, demand judicial investigation

 

 

Serious irregularities and allegations of ‘manipulation’ have surfaced in the cancellation of recognition for 250 private schools in Madhya Pradesh. The Private Schools Association claims that deliberate malpractice occurred during the renewal of recognition for high and higher secondary schools, leading to the cancellation of valid school recognitions. The association has demanded a judicial inquiry into the entire matter and action against the culpable officials. Shilpa Gupta, Commissioner of the Directorate of Public Instruction (DPI), issued orders to cancel the recognition of 250 private schools across the State, including 12 schools in the capital, Bhopal. These schools’ recognitions were revoked due to deficiencies in land documents, with some allegedly operating only on paper. Education Minister Uday Pratap Singh received appeals from a total of 350 schools, out of which only 50 received recognition, while another 50 were put on hold.

 

The association has presented several shocking examples: Of two schools operated by the same institution, one received recognition while the appeals of the other were rejected in both the first and second instances, despite both having the same land allocated. Many schools that had been recognised on the same land documents for 30-40 years had their recognition cancelled this time, based on those very documents. A school operator from Sagar was called for a hearing and duly appeared, but their appeal was later dismissed, citing their absence. The association states that this raises questions about the intentions of the officials handling recognition work at the DPI. In several schools, recognition was cancelled for laboratories despite the absence of science faculty.

 

An institution in Jabalpur submitted all documents, yet the y were marked as ‘not received.’ Upon presenting photos of a computer lab, recognition was cancelled, citing ‘non-compliance with standards,’ raising questions about the correct standards for photos. In a school in Indore, recognition was cancelled due to an alleged deficiency of approximately 600 sq ft in the built-up area, even though the institution presented a lease agreement for 660 sq feet. An institution’s recognition was cancelled despite having one acre of land in its name and being recognised since 1997. A similar incident occurred with a school in Bhopal, which had land several times larger than the prescribed standards and its lease paid until 2027, yet officials insisted on presenting a rent agreement, leading to the cancellation of its recognition. The association has demanded that wrongly cancelled recognitions be reinstated. They also call for a judicial inquiry into the entire matter by a retired High Court judge and the suspension of culpable officials involved in recognition at the DPI.