The School Education Department has begun inspecting playschools, kindergartens, primary and nursery that had submitted proposals seeking recognition. This followed the Department’s move to issue notices to 309 unrecognised schools in September asking them to either apply for recognition or face closure.
The department was keen on closing down unrecognised schools within the current academic year to prevent any uncertainty at the start of the next academic year. These schools had been issued the first notice now. They would be issued a second notice if they failed to provide proper replies. The third and final closure notice would be issued if they failed to either rectify the violations pointed out earlier.
Sources in the Directorate of Elementary Education told The Hindu that inspections were being undertaken even as the Department was yet to take a decision on according recognition to playschools.
While nursery and primary schools were covered under existing legislations, officials said there was no provision in any State or Central laws to accord recognition to playschools. However, as the Right To Education Act prohibited any school from functioning without recognition, the authorities have issued closure notices to many play schools. Of the 309 unrecognised schools in the district, only ten schools had submitted complete proposals seeking recognition. A complete proposal must contain a structural stability certificate issued by an engineer empanelled with the district administration, a sanitary certificate from Health Department, an NOC from Fire Safety and Rescue Services besides a certification from the local Tahsildhar.
As many as 182 schools had given general replies to the Directorate stating that they were day-care centres which required clearance only from the Department of Social Welfare. However, most of them had not attached any certification. Also, Department of Social Welfare officers here said that they had not accorded certification to any day-care centre in Coimbatore. Further, they also expressed doubts whether such centres came under their department.