CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu school education secretary to take a decision on the issue of granting permanent recognition to private schools and the automatic upgradation of primary schools as middle schools.
The directions were issued by Justice GK Ilanthiraiyan recently on the petitions filed by All India Private Educational Institutions Associations, which sought orders to the school education secretary to issue necessary orders for granting permanent recognition based on the recommendations made to the government by the Director of Private Schools.
“The first respondent (secretary) is directed to pass appropriate order in the light of the recommendations submitted by the second respondent (director) by the proceedings dated 28.03.2025 within a period of 12 weeks from the date of receipt of a copy of this order,” the judge said in the order.
The petitioner submitted that permanent recognition had been granted pursuant to a GO issued in 1994 and the order was extended for a longer period but the school education department stopped issuing permanent recognition and granted only temporary recognition.
This forces the private schools to approach the authorities for recognition once the temporary recognition lapses, it said.
The association also sought the court to issue orders to grant automatic upgradation of private primary schools into middle schools so that the children, particularly those admitted under the 25% quota of RTE Act, can continue their education up to middle school level in the same school.
The judge noted that the Right to Free Education was introduced with an intention to provide free education to children till elementary education (till Class 8). Some of the members of the petitioner’s association who are unaided schools, function under the category of primary schools that come under Subclause (C) of Section 12 of the RTE Act.
Due to the delay in obtaining the upgradation which is caused due to administrative reasons, the children who pursued free education under the Act till Class 5 were left with no other option except to join other schools, he said.
Senior counsel KM Vijayan appeared for the petitioner and additional advocate general J Ravindran represented the school education department.