Nagpur: The Maharashtra State Minority Commission said two schools in Nagpur claiming minority status were shut down after an inquiry revealed that they did not have the requisite permission from education dept. Commission president Pyare Khan said both schools were operating under a minority institution based in Bhandara. “But these two schools specifically had not been given any approval to start operations. There are around 600 students enrolled there and now all of them will be shifted to nearby institutes by the education department. No child will lose their academic year,” said Khan.He added that a case has also been registered at the local police station against the management of the two schools. The inquiry was initiated by Nagpur Zilla Parishad’s education dept at the behest of Minority Commission. Khan said, “We received a complaint that two schools were operating illegally and had even demanded money from their staff to secure jobs, claiming that govt grants will be given to them for salaries. I wrote to the education dept, which then directed Nagpur ZP to conduct the inquiry.”
The inquiry was conducted in March on separate days and a report submitted to the deputy director of education (DDE) Nagpur division. Khan said, “Many such illegal minority schools operate across Maharashtra and our commission has begun a crackdown. Such irregularities are taking place in full public view, so I am shocked how authorities fail to notice. My concern is that some minority status institutions are indulging in this type of activity, and giving everyone else a bad name,” said Khan.
Khan urged parents to verify a school’s status before seeking admission. “Parents can check the UDISE number of a school on the govt’s site. Alternatively, they can ask for the same number from the school and verify it,” he said. A UDISE number functions as an Aadhaar card for schools – issued only to govt-approved institutions and verifiable on the govt portal.
