Gandhinagar, September 10 (Daily Kiran) : The Gujarat Assembly has recently passed amendments to the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Act, 1972, aiming to tighten regulations for schools. The new law, approved on September 10, increases penalties for operating schools without proper authorization, making illegal appointments, and arbitrarily closing registered institutions.
Under the revised rules, school managements can face fines of up to ₹10 lakh for illegal appointments of principals or teachers in government-aided secondary and higher secondary schools. Previously, the penalty was just ₹1,000. The government stated that these measures are intended to enhance transparency in the recruitment process.
The amendments also impose stricter laws on unregistered schools. No institution can provide education without registering with the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board. The penalties for operating unregistered schools have been significantly increased. Instead of fines ranging from ₹1 lakh to ₹2 lakh, violators now face imprisonment of one to two years or fines between ₹10 lakh and ₹15 lakh, or both.
Additionally, the penalties for closing registered secondary or higher secondary schools without notifying the board have been raised dramatically. Previously, schools faced a fine of ₹1,000 for failing to give a mandatory six-month notice during the academic session. The new regulations impose a fine of ₹20 lakh for such violations.
The government emphasized that these changes aim to protect students’ educational continuity from management decisions. The six-month notice requirement remains part of the regulations.
Moreover, the amendments establish a legal framework for the appointment of special educators. This initiative seeks to promote inclusive education for children with special needs, ensuring that differently-abled students receive proper educational opportunities and guidance from trained teachers.
The new law differentiates between government-aided and fully private schools. For registered secondary and higher secondary schools receiving government assistance, the qualifications, working methods, and selection processes for principals, teachers, special educators, and non-teaching staff will be determined by state government regulations.
For registered private schools, the government will also set qualifications for staff in these categories. The existing reservation policy will apply to staff recruitment.
Changes were also made to the formation of Class B members under Section 3(2) of the Act. A member will now be elected from teachers of registered secondary schools, excluding post-basic and government institutions. Separate rules already exist for representatives from government schools, higher basic schools, and higher secondary schools. The fifth category has been modified to clearly include non-teaching staff from both government-aided and fully private secondary and higher secondary schools. The ninth category, related to parent association representation, has also been expanded.
This provision removes the term ‘private,’ allowing presidents of parent associations from all registered secondary and higher secondary schools to participate in the election process. The interpretation of this provision has been amended to explicitly include parent associations from both types of schools.
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