MUMBAI: The civic training division has revealed a listing of 164 unauthorised colleges, urging mother and father to avoid these casual establishments and studying centres, most of them in low-income neighbourhoods. Most of those colleges have approval for Lessons 5 to 10 however not for main sections, whereas some don’t have approval in any respect. Greater than 80,000 college students are enrolled in them.
In a public discover issued on Friday, BMC training officer Sujata Khare mentioned mother and father shouldn’t patronise unrecognised colleges. As an alternative, they have to enrol their youngsters in recognised colleges solely, both municipal or personal, of their respective neighbourhoods.
The BMC has been grappling with the problem of unauthorised colleges for just a few years now. A survey by the BMC in 2023-24 had recognized 218 unauthorised colleges. Round 48 managements, together with the BMC’s training division, had submitted proposals for approval to the state training division in October 2025 and are awaiting a response. The 164 colleges within the listing revealed on Friday relate to this survey, a listing that’s repeatedly up to date.
A lot of the colleges on the listing are in Chembur, Mankhurd, Govandi, Malad-Malvani and Dharavi. They perform with restricted infrastructure and have just a few college students on their rolls. Whereas they meet a necessity in low-income neighbourhoods, these colleges merely don’t have the prescribed infrastructure. Some function in chawls or in small rooms in residential buildings.
A trustee of one among them mentioned, “Most of us shouldn’t have RCC buildings or meet all the factors required for approval, however we’re giving poor youngsters an opportunity to review in English. We’re consistently in contact with the federal government for a possibility, however we’ve got not obtained it but.”
Rajeshree Shirwadkar, chairperson of the civic training committee, mentioned, “Earlier than taking motion, we should take into consideration the scholars’ training. Observe-up shall be executed with the federal government.”
However with out the required infrastructure and correctly certified lecturers, can these colleges ship a proper training? Watchdog Basis has written to the chief minister and the municipal commissioner, urging them to introduce an amnesty scheme that will permit these colleges to regularise their standing underneath the provisions of the RTE Act, 2009. “Abrupt closure of those establishments might severely disrupt the tutorial continuity and future prospects of hundreds of scholars,” mentioned the muse in an e-mail to the authorities.
