Now Reading: 164 unauthorised schools in Mumbai, 90% English-medium
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164 unauthorised schools in Mumbai, 90% English-medium
Mumbai has 164 unauthorised schools, with around 90% of them featuring the word 'English' in their names, reflecting the demand for English-medium education in slum pockets. The M-East Ward, covering Govandi, Mankhurd,…
The Story in Brief
Mumbai has 164 unauthorised schools, with around 90% of them featuring the word 'English' in their names, reflecting the demand for English-medium education in slum pockets. The M-East Ward, covering Govandi, Mankhurd, and Trombay, accounts for 64 of these schools, the largest cluster. Many operate from cramped premises with children seated on floors, and 36 have received closure notices with FIRs filed against some managements.
School managements cite strict norms, including a minimum 5,000 sq ft plot and a 30-year land lease, as impractical for slum areas. Principals said students in classes 10 and 12 are transferred on paper to recognised schools to sit for board exams. The state education department said regularisation of 47-48 schools may happen soon, but safety audits remain a concern. Parents, unaware of the status, send children for proximity and English instruction.
The Indian Opinion
The saga pits genuine safety concerns against the aspirations of poor families. A 30-year land lease in a slum is a fantasy, yet the infrastructure bar for recognition is the same as for a Colaba school. The real fight is not between English and Marathi, it is between rigid rules and a ground reality where 2,000 students have been shifted but many more risk dropping out. The test is whether the promised regularisation of 47-48 schools happens, and whether norms can be made seat-based instead of plot-based.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
