Close unrecognised schools in unsafe premises: HC

The Delhi High Court has directed the city government, the Delhi Development Authority and civic agencies to ensure "immediate closure" of unrecognised schools running in premises which may pose threat to the safety of students.

A division bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw passed the order on a PIL, saying no unrecognised school should be allowed to run in Delhi.

In a recent order, the court said: "We direct the directorate of education (DoE), government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD), Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) and Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to ensure immediate closure/ shifting of those unrecognised schools which are housed in any premises which may pose a threat to the safety of its children."

The bench also asked them to expeditiously decide on the issue of recognition to be granted to unrecognised schools.

It also said that giving a direction for "immediate closure of all unaided schools would not be in public interest".

The public interest litigation filed by NGO Social Jurist, had said that despite the court's 2008 order that no unrecognised school should be allowed to run in Delhi, the directorate of education has done nothing to ensure this, resulting in "continuous existence and mushrooming of hundreds of unauthorised, unsafe and unrecognised play schools and pre-primary schools in Delhi".

Advocates Ashok Agarwal and Khagesh Jha, appearing for the NGO, had told the court allowing pre-primary and nursery schools to continue to run without obtaining recognition was "illegal".

In 2008, the high court asked the government to frame a scheme for regularising and regulating these unregistered institutions.