Gurgaon: Nine private schools in the city were fined between Rs 30,000 and Rs 1 lakh for violating provisions of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, including failing to complete mandatory documentation and declare entry-level seats for the 2026-27 academic session on Sept 17.The action was approved by the directorate of elementary education, Haryana, following scrutiny by the district education department during the document-verification process. Path Finder Global School, Pataudi, Amazon Public School, Sector 56, and Rabindranath World School, Gurugram, were each fined Rs 1 lakh, while Colonel’s Smart Kidz Academy, Bhora Kalan, Rajmala Senior Secondary School, Farrukhnagar, RBS Public School, Palam Vihar, and Jai Bharti High School, Naurangpur, were fined Rs 70,000 each. Divine Dales M/S Gandhi Nagar and Vidya Niketan Public School were fined Rs 30,000 each.“Colonel’s Smart Kidz Academy in Pataudi and Vidya Niketan Public School have already paid the penalty amount; rest will submit in a week or so,” said an official from the education department.As per the official, the schools were found to have irregularities in submitting the required information, following which their Management Information System (MIS) access was blocked. The department has also recommended penal action against nine more private schools, several of them prominent institutions, with proposed fines ranging from Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh.“Recommendations for fines exceeding Rs 1.5 lakh are sent to the Directorate of Elementary Education for approval after the district education department completes its scrutiny and recommends action. The Directorate then decides the quantum of the penalty. The action is linked to compliance with Section 12(1)(c) of the RTE Act, under which eligible private schools are required to reserve 25% of entry-level seats for children from disadvantaged and weaker sections,” said the official.In another case, a 10th school is also likely to face penal action for allegedly attempting to verify the financial status of a child who had been allotted an EWS category by the govt. As per the official, the school questioned the student’s eligibility after observing that the family had a large house and a car.Officials said schools cannot independently decide that a child is ineligible for the EWS category or stop the admission on the basis of their own assessment of a family’s financial status. If a school has doubts about an EWS allotment, it has to refer the matter to the department, which can then verify the family’s eligibility through the prescribed process, including an inspection where required. Officials said the school is not authorised to conduct its own financial investigation and deny admission on that basis. The department has also directed that the MIS portal be reopened for affected schools so that necessary corrections can be made and the admission process is not disrupted. Officials said the action was intended to ensure that schools comply with RTE requirements and that procedural disputes or unilateral decisions by school managements do not prevent eligible children from securing admission under the quota.
