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FIR was filed against Morning Star School two years ago; pupils to be relocated to other institutes; as per officials of the school education department, the school has been issued warnings and notices multiple times before but still continues to operate without approval and RTE recognition
The school is currently running classes from Std I to VIII. Representational pic/iStock
Almost two years after registering an FIR for ‘operating illegally’, the school education officer, South Zone, has finally initiated the process to shut down Dharavi’s Morning Star School. The students currently enrolled will be relocated to other nearby schools, and parents have already been informed of the decision, the South Zone education officer told mid-day.
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As per officials of the school education department, the school has been issued warnings and notices multiple times before but still continues to operate without approval and RTE recognition. Officials said that an action has been initiated against the Morning Star School under the RTE Act, 2009.
The school is currently running classes from Std I to VIII and has a total of 727 students. The department will now shift these students to other authorised schools nearby in the next academic year, said officials.
In May 2023, as part of its collective action against illegal/unauthorised schools in the city, an FIR was registered against the Morning Star School and the school's trustees Sujabai Rajakumar and Rajkumar Nadar were booked under Section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by a public servant) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 18 (5) of the Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009.
As per the FIR, the school had obtained temporary approval from Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to run classes from Std I to IV from June 2015 till May 31, 2018. However, despite it expiring in 2018, the school did not renew or even apply for it.
“It came to our notice that in June 2021, the BMC had directed the school through a letter to apply for state government approval to operate. However, the school failed to obtain this approval to date. Consequently, we had issued a closure notice on February 28, 2023, and imposed a fine of Rs 1,00,000, along with a penalty of R10,000 per day from the date of the closure notice if the school failed to shut down,” said an official from the school education department.
Speaking to mid-day, Education Officer for Mumbai (South Zone) Devidas Mahajan, said, “We conducted an inspection of the school in February 2023. Following this, we issued a verbal order and a formal closure notice. Despite this, the school continued operations. This was the first FIR in the South Zone, and there are more schools under our radar. We will take appropriate action after further inspections and scrutiny.”
Mahajan added, “We have already initiated the process to relocate students to authorised schools in phases.”
When contacted, trustee Nadar said, “We have not received any closure notice from the school education department. This is extremely unfair to us and the students. We have repeatedly attempted to secure approval, but our applications have been rejected time and again. We will seek legal counsel on the matter and will not allow the school to shut down.”
Nadar added, “We are providing education to 115 RTE students under the 25 per cent quota for economically weaker sections. Despite our cooperation with the government, we are being subjected to constant harassment.”
One of the parents, Nadar M, said, “We live in slums, and my son is the first-generation learner in our family. I want my son to be different and focus on his education. They say the school is illegal, but it’s doing something legal by educating the poor.”
“We have no idea what is going on. I only heard from other parents about the school being illegal. Our main concern is that our children’s education should not be disrupted over what seems like petty issues,” another parent added.
727
No. of students enrolled in school
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