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According to data shared by the secretary, 24 lakh students are enrolled in these unrecognised schools.
Over 24 lakh students are enrolled in 22,298 unrecognised schools.(Image: PTI)
The Ministry of Education has urged the states to take action on 22,298 unrecognised schools by March. The Secretary of the Education Ministry’s Department of School Education and Literacy, Sanjay Kumar has written a letter to recognise these unrecognised schools or take appropriate measures.
In his letter, Sanjay Kumar highlighted that many unrecognised schools were included in the UDISE list with the condition that they meet the standards mandated by the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009, within three years of its implementation in 2010. However, over a decade later, 22,298 schools in the UDISE list remain unrecognised.
“Section 19 of the RTE Act stipulates that those schools established before the commencement of the Act and not fulfilling the norms shall take steps to fulfil the norms within three years from the date of commencement of the Act. The Act also mandates that, if such schools fail to fulfil the norms, the recognition shall be withdrawn and the school shall cease to function. In spite of these provisions, a large number of unrecognised schools are continuing in UDISE+ till date,” the secretary wrote in the letter.
Sanjay Kumar has urged states to take action on these unrecognised schools by March 31, 2025.
“It is requested that states or union territories need to take further course of action and issue suitable instructions to concerned authorities to recognise these unrecognised schools or take appropriate measures as deemed fit within the definite timeline of March 31, 2025,” Kumar’s letter says.
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State-Wise Number Of Unrecognised Schools & Students Enrolled
| State/Union Territory | Unrecognised Schools | Students Enrolled |
|---|---|---|
| Jharkhand | 5,879 | 8,37,897 |
| Bihar | 4,915 | 7,75,704 |
| Assam | 3,630 | 1,59,714 |
| West Bengal | 3,380 | 2,02,718 |
| Odisha | 1,052 | 91,895 |
| Kerala | 808 | 97,693 |
| Haryana | 721 | 84,276 |
| Meghalaya | 502 | 37,506 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 288 | 22,682 |
| Tamil Nadu | 255 | 28,273 |
| Maharashtra | 232 | 39,819 |
| Andhra Pradesh | 140 | 12,311 |
| Manipur | 100 | 9,873 |
| Telangana | 91 | 3,606 |
| Tripura | 68 | 5,973 |
| Mizoram | 60 | 6,697 |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 42 | 4,185 |
| Rajasthan | 29 | 1,634 |
| Chandigarh | 27 | 7,977 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 25 | 623 |
| Chhattisgarh | 20 | 807 |
| Uttarakhand | 16 | 1,077 |
| Jammu and Kashmir | 15 | 1,160 |
| Karnataka | 2 | 34 |
| Nagaland | 1 | 104 |
| Total | 22,298 | 24,34,238 |
According to data shared by the secretary, 24 lakh students are enrolled in these schools, which also employ 1.5 lakh teachers.
