The Meghalaya government has decided to come up with prescribing norms and criteria for providing aid and recognition to schools in the state.
One of the norms is, a school must be established in an area of 2.5 acres in urban areas, and 3.5 acres in rural areas.
The norm and criteria was approved by the Meghalaya cabinet on Thursday.
Education minister Lahkmen Rymbui told reporters that for availing grant in aid from the government and to get permission and recognition, schools have to meet the norms and criteria which would come with prospective into effect.
Apart from setting up a school in a plot of 2.5 acres in urban and 3.5 acres in rural area, the sponsoring body of the school should have a reserved fund for three months to pay the salary of teachers.
They should also have teachers’ welfare fund, appointment of teachers should meet the NCTE norm, and the school building should meet the safety norms approved by the deputy commissioner or superintendent of police.
“Therefore, if the government has the resources to help the schools, it should be as per laid down norm and criteria,” Rymbui said.
Admitting that schools have been established in the past without norms or rules, Rymbui said that there were instances where deserving schools established many years ago did not get aid from the government whereas some schools set up three or four years back, managed to get aid from the government as there was no norm or proper criteria in place.
“This is injustice and the norms and criteria are in place now because we feel that deserving schools should not be denied aid from the government. Therefore in order to have uniformity we thought that there should be minimum standard for setting up of schools,” the education minister said.
According to Rymbui there are 900 plus schools of different categories that have received grant in aid from the schools.
He said that the norms and criteria are also the same for according permission and recognition to the schools.
Asked about existing schools that did not meet the newly approved norm and criteria, Rymbui admitted that there are schools that did not have play ground or enough space, and such schools which has not been granted permission, will remain as it is.