BMC Identifies 164 Unauthorised Schools in Mumbai as 2,000 Students Relocated
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and the Maharashtra education department have identified 164 unauthorised schools across Mumbai, with M-East Ward—covering Govandi, Mankhurd, and Trombay—accounting for 64 of these institutions. Authorities have issued closure notices and registered police complaints against several operating in areas like Baiganwadi, while planning the transfer of affected students.
BMC Education Officer Sujata Khare stated that officials have already shifted 2,000 students and eventually plan to move most children from unauthorised institutions into municipal schools. Meanwhile, Maharashtra Principal Secretary for School Education Ranjit Singh Deol indicated that approvals and regularisation for 47 to 48 schools may happen soon, though safety and structural concerns remain the primary hurdle.
According to Deol, many unauthorised schools operate in physical structures without mandatory structural or fire audits. To gain official recognition, school managements are required to meet strict criteria, including operating on a minimum 5,000-square-foot plot, securing a 30-year land lease or ownership, obtaining an Essentiality Certificate, securing building and fire clearances, and depositing a fixed deposit of Rs 21 lakh.
School administrators in slum pockets argue that meeting these requirements is nearly impossible on slum land where legal ownership is unviable. A teacher at a Baiganwadi school serving 800 students, which currently faces an FIR, noted that securing a 30-year lease in a slum is impossible, though authorities have granted them eight months to address the issues.
In L Ward's Pereirawadi area, Prerna High School has operated since 1993. School owner Devendra Hande stated that after switching from a Marathi to an English medium in 2011, official recognition remains pending due to difficulties getting the school's name on the 7/12 land record, despite completing required infrastructure work.
Around 90% of the 164 unauthorised schools include the word "English" in their names, reflecting high demand from parents seeking English-medium education. In M-East Ward, only one civic English-medium school exists, serving around 1,100 students. To circumvent recognition hurdles, principals reported transferring Class 10 and Class 12 students on paper to recognised partner schools so they can sit for official board examinations.
