The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notice to the State Government on a petition filed against unauthorised and unrecognised playschools in the Capital, alleging that they were posing a danger to children getting admission there.
Petitioner Social Jurist, a non-government organisation, said the Directorate of Education had failed to ensure compliance with the Court’s 2008 order, which disallowed continuance of unrecognised playschools in the city.
According to the petitioner, this has resulted in continuous existence and mushrooming of hundreds of unauthorised, unsafe and unrecognised playschools and pre-primary schools in Delhi.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice P.S Teji sought the response of the Delhi Government by February 11, when the case will come up for hearing next. Notices were also issued to the civic bodies and Delhi Development Authority, which are among the respondents in the case.
Lawyers Ashok Agarwal and Khagesh Jha, appearing for Social Jurist, said though some action taken reports were submitted in Court, they were silent on what action the DoE proposed to take against schools that had not applied for recognition and were still functioning.
The High Court had in 2008 asked the State Government to frame a scheme for regularising and regulating unregistered educational institutions.
The DoE invited applications in 2013 for recognition of schools running classes up to the elementary level, but said that as pre-primary schools were not covered under the Right to Education Act, they would continue to function.
The petition pointed out that allowing pre-primary and nursery schools in this manner to continue to run without obtaining recognition was illegal.
