The Delhi government has relaxed norms for all the unrecognised private primary and middle schools in the national capital to get recognition.

The land norms, required to get recognition under the right to education (RTE) act, have been reduced which help the existing unrecognised schools to get recognition with greater ease. The right to education (RTE) act, posed a huge threat to these schools because it mandates the closing of all private unrecognised schools after March 31, 2013.

These schools were unrecognised on account of several factors one of which was land requirement. Minimum land area required was 800 sq. metre as per the Delhi Master Plan 2021, which posed a serious obstacle in recognition of schools in Delhi.

But now, as per the relaxed norms, a primary school would need a minimum area of 200 square metres as against 800 square metres and a middle school would need to have a minimum area of 700 square metres as against 1,000 square metres earlier.

The RTE act said that no school, other than one established, owned or controlled by the government will be established or function without the recognition. Such schools should get government approval by meeting minimum standards on infrastructure and teaching staff.

The act, implemented on April 1 2010, gave three years to such schools to get recognition from the government. The deadline was ending on March 31, 2013. The Act also asks private schools to match government school salaries and amenities or close down.

The act also threatened to slap a fine of Rs 10,000 per day on all such schools in the country which fail to get government recognition by March 31, 2013.

Before the enforcement of the RTE Act, unrecognised schools till class VIII could be run. And they could get recognition while operating.

The unrecognised schools, which may not have adequate infrastructure and resources, teach lakhs of children across the country.

More than three lakh such budget schools operate in the country. In Delhi alone, around four lakh students are estimated to study in 2,235 such schools, out of the total 7,469 schools in the national capital.

Only few private schools are elite schools but most are unrecognised, charging low fees and are being operated from homes. They are affordable mainly because they lack the expensive infrastructure and qualified teachers mandated by government rules.

Many believe that they might not provide the best education but they do deliver more than a government school.

Parents from the low-income groups have increasingly switched their children from free government schools to fee-paying private ones.