MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (Dr. Shashi Tharoor)
(a) & (b): As per the District Information System for Education (DISE) 2011-12, 25,928 unrecognised schools across the country have reported school data, indicating an enrolment of 28.40 lakh children, the state-wise details of which are given at Annexure.
(c) & (d): Private schools, including unrecognized schools, are subject to the provisions of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 and would have to take steps to fulfill the norms and standards specified under the Act at their own expense.
(e) to (h): The norms and standards for schools specified under the RTE Act, 2009 are minimalist in nature, and every school is required to adhere to them from the viewpoint of providing quality education to children. The unrecognized schools are also required to seek recognition under the RTE Act and have been given a three year time-window to complete their infrastructure requirements as per the norms and standards of the Act.
It is the responsibility of the State Government/local authority to provide free and compulsory elementary education to all children in the 6-14 age group in a neighbourhood school, including the children enrolled in schools which close down due to non-adherence to the RTE norms and standards
