To ease recognition process of Delhi’s private schools, online portal in the works

In February 2021, the department, through an order, clubbed 73 checkpoints in place of 91 to make the process of recognition, upgradation or extension of provisional recognition of private unaided schools easier.

Private schools in the Capital seeking recognition must provide essential facilities such as physical education, library services, laboratory work, workshops, and co-curricular activities to ensure holistic student development, as per the department’s rules.

The schools must obtain either permanent or provisional recognition from the Directorate of Education (DoE). Provisional recognition is granted for a limited period, requiring schools to reapply for an extension upon meeting specific criteria.

In earlier official estimates, nearly 800 unrecognised schools were granted provisional recognition, with a focus on compliance with infrastructure and quality norms.

As per the latest Economic Survey data (2023-24), Delhi has 5,488 recognised schools, with an approximate enrollment of 46.29 lakh students. It operates 1,240 government and government-aided schools, accounting for 22.59% of the total schools in the city.

Despite this, government and government-aided schools accommodate 41.61% of the total student enrollment in Delhi during 2022-23. The share of enrolment in private recognised schools has been increasing year after year, except during the pandemic years, and is 36.79%.

According to education department officials, only a few initiatives for digitisation have taken place in the last few years, including one under the former deputy CM Mainsh Sisodia five years ago when an e-learning portal — LEAD (Learning through E-Resources Made Accessible for Delhi) — was introduced by the Delhi government with course content for classes I to XII.