CHENNAI: In a major relief to educational institutions struggling to regularise buildings, constructed before January 1, 2011, in non plan areas, the government has extended the deadline for regularisation to June 30, 2023. The earlier deadline ended on December 31, 2022.
Thousands of private schools across the state have not been able to renew their recognition due to pending approval from the Directorate of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) for school buildings. DTCP approval is mandatory for school buildings to get recognition renewed, which in turn, is necessary for getting Fitness Certificates (FCs) for migrating from matriculation to Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and even to get school vehicles and permits.
Last year, the housing department extended the regularisation scheme twice to give a chance for the schools that do not have DTCP or Local Planning Authority’s (LPA) approval for their buildings. State secretary of Nursery, Primary and Matriculation Higher Secondary School Association, KR Nandakumar, said the window for regularisation was for a short period.
Earlier, DTCP constituted a committee to review documents from the management of educational institutions that have applied to get concurrence for buildings constructed in non-plan areas. The committee -- headed by the DTCP joint director with deputy directors, assistant directors and ministerial staff -- called for documents from the management.
According to the G.O. accessed by TNIE, the educational institutions have to pay a one-time fee of Rs 7.50 a square feet of the floor space index area of the building, which shall be self-assessed. Nandhakumar said each school building is built on 1 lakh square feet, and the initial one time fee of Rs 155 per square feet was quite high and unaffordable. “Now, it has been reduced to Rs 7.50 per square feet which would result in the schools signing up for the regularisation scheme,” he said.
Government gave its approval to accord amnesty to educational institution buildings, including schools, constructed prior to January 1, 2011 in the year 2018 following Madras HC asking the director of school education to constitute a committee in each district to inspect schools and ensure they conform to requisite building regulations and safety norms.
The proposal was submitted after representations from the Consortium of Self-Financing Professional Arts and Science colleges in TN and Federation of Association of Private schools in TN. But what is worrying the private schools is that the government schools have not been brought under this ambit. But then due to Covid-19, the scheme could not be implemented and extensions are being given continuously to schools.