New Delhi: Directorate of Education (DoE) has done away with the requirement of a fixed minimum land area for recognition, its extension and upgradation to unaided private schools in the capital, according to a recent order.The order states that the directorate has withdrawn the earlier requirement prescribing a fixed minimum land area as a condition for these approvals. The change takes effect immediately. However, the relaxation does not do away with land requirements that may be prescribed by a school’s affiliating board. The DoE has clarified that the minimum land area required for affiliation, if any, will continue to be governed by the norms of the board concerned. The order draws a distinction between recognition granted by the directorate and affiliation granted by a board.“Grant of recognition by the directorate shall not be construed as grant of affiliation or exemption from compliance with the norms of the concerned affiliating Board or any other applicable statutory authority,” the order states.The directorate has also said that recognition will remain subject to compliance with the applicable provisions of the Delhi School Education Act and Rules, 1973, Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, and Delhi Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules, 2011.As part of the change, the DoE’s May 28, 2014 circular has been superseded to the extent that it prescribed fixed minimum land-area norms for recognition or upgradation of unaided private schools.The latest order comes amid a broader overhaul of the regulatory framework for private schools in Delhi. In July, the govt had also approved replacing the requirement for an essentiality certificate for opening private schools with a self-certification system, as part of changes aimed at simplifying the recognition process.
