State education department to inspect private schools
Times of India | 24 July 2026
Kolkata: The school education department will conduct inspections at private schools to check whether they have no-objection certificates (NOC) from the state and are officially recognized. Department officials have been asked to conduct regular inspections of both govt and private schools.
The initiative follows a high-level review meeting chaired by chief minister Suvendu Adhikari at Bikash Bhavan. Departmental circulars highlighted serious concerns regarding private institutions operating without valid state recognition or NOCs. Furthermore, several schools are under scrutiny for failing to meet provisions outlined in the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, and the West Bengal RTE Rules, 2012.
Following the directive, district inspectors of schools (DIs) and field-level officers have been instructed to conduct inspections across these institutions. On an emergency basis, officials are building a database using UDISE data drawn from the state’s Bangla Shiksha portal and district records.
The database will catalog school names, addresses, board affiliations, NOC statuses, class schedules, and flag institutions that possess a UDISE code without recognized board affiliation. To facilitate submission, the department has circulated a Google Form to directly collect and verify records from school administrators.
Sources said nearly 4,000 private schools recorded zero student enrollment on the UDISE portal, significantly distorting state educational data. Department officials mentioned the reluctance of many private institutions to update their profiles on the official state portal. “Many private schools operate under the impression that they hold supreme authority and cannot be questioned. This mindset has to change,” a department official said.
Responses across private school managements have been mixed. While several school heads refrained from public comment, National English School principal Mousumi Saha said they have all the documents and the UDISE metrics are updated.
Around 132 minority schools operate under the Church of North India (CNI). The Most Rev. Paritosh Canning, Bishop of Calcutta, said, “We have not yet received such a communication from the state. We are ready to cooperate with the state, but since we are minority institutions, we have been given certain rights under Article 30 of the Indian Constitution, and we function in accordance with those.”
The department warned that institutions found operating without valid NOC or failing to satisfy safety and infrastructural standards will face immediate administrative action.