100 Bogus Schools In Pune District Ordered To Shut Down By Education Commissioner

Pune, 9th April 2023: The education system in Maharashtra has been hit with a major scandal, as it has emerged that a hundred schools in the state have been asked to close down after being found to have produced fraudulent documents in order to claim affiliation with major educational boards.

The bogus schools, which are spread across Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and rural areas of the district, had falsely claimed affiliation with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE), International Baccalaureate (IB) and the Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE). The parents can check the list of valid schools on the website of the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+).

Maharashtra State education commissioner Suraj Mandhare made the announcement that these schools would be closed, citing the fake documents that had been produced during the registration process. Parents of children at these schools were left in a state of panic, as they faced the prospect of having to find new schools for their children at short notice.

The education commissioner has confirmed that these schools will be investigated and that criminal action will be taken against those found to be producing fraudulent documents. In addition, it has been revealed that a racket has been operating in the state, providing bogus NOCs to school managements for a fee of Rs 12 lakh.

The impacted schools are located throughout various regions of the city, including Shivajinagar, Swargate, Kondhwa, Wanowrie, Yerwada, Vadgaon Sheri, Narhe Ambegaon, Katraj, Chakan, Akurdi, Pimpri, Chinchwad, as well as Ambegaon, Junnar, Indapur, Khed, Maval, Mulshi, Bhor, Velha, and Haveli taluka.

Sharad Gosavi, director of primary education, urged caution when dealing with these schools: “If the required documents are not available, schools concerned are derecognised. However, these schools later seek relief from the court. Rather than taking quick action against the schools, the education officials held discussions with the deputy director of education after the schools sought relief from the court. The officials were instructed to draft a proposal to take effective action, resulting in the shutdown of approximately 100 schools. The action will continue.”

The scandal has raised concerns about the quality of education being provided to children across the state, and has highlighted the need for tighter regulations and greater scrutiny of schools claiming affiliation with major educational boards. It has also underlined the need for parents to conduct thorough research before enrolling their children in any school, in order to ensure that they are receiving a high-quality education from a reputable institution. The state government has been urged to issue a circular to all recognized schools, to help parents who have been affected by the closure of these bogus schools.

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