Shillong: The Meghalaya Education Department will soon come up with a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the opening of schools in the state.
The SOP was necessitated due to non-recognition of many schools in Meghalaya under the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE), a Central government provision to recognize every school in the country.
Special Project Director of Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) Swapnil Tembe said that over 500 schools in Meghalaya are not recognized under the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) of the government.
As per the proposed SOP, anyone willing to start a school has to apply for permission and show evidence that they have the requisite infrastructure to open schools, he said.
He said that permanent recognition and a UDISE code will be granted to the schools based on their performance and enrollment.
Expressing concern that some schools had operated without UDISE recognition, the official emphasized the need for proper documentation before opening.
Tembe said that the Central government has directed all state governments to take care of these unrecognized schools.
“So we have asked them to go and verify whether they have all the required basic amenities so that they can be recognised” he added.
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He added, “Anyone wishing to start a school must apply for permission and show that they have the necessary infrastructure. Once permission is granted, they can begin operations. After three years, if the school performs well and maintains sufficient enrollment, it will be granted permanent recognition and a UDISE code.”
