Meghalaya is facing a pressing issue with nearly 500 unrecognized schools operating across the state, despite these institutions holding UDISE codes. The Education Department has acknowledged that the problem stems from legacy practices where government documents were issued without strict regulatory compliance, and the matter is now under closer scrutiny.
Director of School Education & Literacy, Swapnil Tembe, emphasized that the Government of India has instructed states to address the concerns surrounding unrecognized schools.
“There are certain schools which are unrecognized in the system, in our state there are roughly around 500 schools which are still unrecognized. Recognition means there is some kind of document issued by the government or government officials. It can be an opening permission, provisional recognition, or permanent recognition,” Tembe explained.
“Unfortunately, due to legacy issues from the past, schools have opened and are functioning without receiving these recognitions. In fact, they even have UDISE codes,” he added.
Following a review meeting on the state’s education system, Tembe confirmed that a verification process has now been launched to assess whether these institutions meet the necessary infrastructure and academic standards for official recognition.
“There is an instruction from the Government of India that we must address the unrecognized schools. Therefore, we have instructed the relevant authorities to go and verify whether these schools have all the required basic amenities so they can be officially recognized,” Tembe stated.