Patna: Bihar’s education sector is facing a major shake-up as the state grapples with the issue of 24,000 private schools operating without official registration. In response, the newly appointed Additional Chief Secretary of the Education Department, Dr. S Siddharth, has taken decisive action against these unregistered institutions. Following his directives, Primary Education Director Mithilesh Mishra has issued a mandate requiring these schools to either complete their registration or shut down.
According to the new order from the Education Department, all private schools must now comply with the Right to Education (RTE) Act. Registration under RTE is mandatory, and schools failing to register will face a substantial fine of one lakh rupees.
Mishra announced that private schools must submit their registration applications online by August 15. Regarding the current infrastructure of these schools, Mishra stated that the focus will initially be on registration. The condition of the school’s facilities, whether they have one room or a hundred, will be assessed at a later stage.
Mishra highlighted that registration would bring several benefits to schools, including eligibility for government grants and assistance with student admissions. Since the implementation of the RTE Act, the process of application has shifted from offline to online. Mishra emphasized that online registration will help eliminate irregularities that were prevalent with offline applications.
He noted that the introduction of online payments in 2019 had already reduced irregularities. Although some payments remain pending, they are currently being processed through the Gyandeep portal.
Mishra also provided updates on student admissions and Aadhar seeding. He announced that an additional application window will be opened for schools with outstanding payments. So far, 27,000 student admission applications have been received, compared to 22,000 from the previous cycle. Out of these, 4,600 students have been enrolled in classes 1 to 8. Each student receives an annual grant of 11,000 rupees.
Regarding Aadhar seeding, Mishra reported that there are 1.84 crore children in government schools, with 1 crore 24 lakh having completed Aadhar seeding—representing 67 percent. In contrast, the Aadhar seeding rate in private schools is significantly lower. Of the 33 lakh children in 13,000 private schools, only 17,000 have completed Aadhar seeding, amounting to less than half a percent.
