Digital Registration of Schools to Check on Fake Minority Schools

Mr Pritam Nachankar, Special correspondent, Sanatan Prabhat

Mumbai, 22^nd October – Several bogus schools for minorities are operated, on paper, to take benefits of grants and facilities extended by the State Government. The Minority Department has started digital re-registration of minority schools. The Government has issued an order to complete digital registration of all schools with minority status by 20.11.2025 which will bring forth the facts about fake minority schools.

The Minority Development Department has instructed district collectors to verify the registration of schools with minority status. The work has been taken up on war footing. BJP MLA Prashant Bamb had raised this ‘starred’ query during the budgetary session of the state legislative assembly held in July 2025 and Education Minister Dadaji Bhuse had assured to undertake a special drive to check on the fake minority schools. Accordingly, the search-drive has been taken up.

Huge embezzlement : likely involvement of Government officers

A school, on getting a status of minority school, is entitled to grants of Rs 2 lakhs for basic facilities per annum and under the right to education law, the rule of giving reservation to students from backward communities in minority education institutions doesn’t apply. It has been observed that a few people running such schools have been involved in huge embezzlement to get such benefits under this scheme and there is a likelihood of involvement of some Government officers also.   

Editorial Perspectives

• Cancelling minority status of schools will not be enough but those who are running such institutions and officers who issued such fake certificates of minority status should also be punished.

• How fake minority schools have been registered at such a large scale ? Why isn’t there a system that will take care to prevent registration of fake schools ?