Mumbai: A complaint by a parent has led the state government’s grievance redressal committee (GRC) to direct Bombay Scottish School in Mahim to follow several rules under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009. The committee has asked the school to obtain formal permission to run two shifts, which it did not have till now, and ensure that the prescribed academic hours under the RTE Act are followed.
The directions come after a parent raised concerns six months ago, alleging that the school was not complying with the required academic hours as mandated under the law. After reviewing the complaint, the committee issued a written order outlining several steps that the school must follow.
In the order signed by Sunil Sawant, member secretary of the grievance redressal committee, the school has been asked to carry out its work according to the norms and standards mentioned in the schedule of the RTE Act, as per Sections 19 and 25. The order also states that the school should take a fresh decision on charging fees for STEM learning after consulting parents. It also recommends that the subject should remain optional for students.
The committee has further directed the school administration to ensure proper academic planning, saying that the principal should prepare an accurate annual plan for the school curriculum and maintain coordination between educational activities and co-curricular programmes. It also states that the principal should ensure that student evaluation and the annual curriculum are completed within the planned time. As per government rules, the school should also take care to complete the planned number of teaching periods every week.
The complaint was raised by parent Pallavi Lotlikar, who said she first noticed the issue in July 2024. She said the violations were affecting the education and well-being of students studying in the school. “I noticed the impact on my children and then realised that all parents had the same complaints,” she said. “I checked the school’s compliance and it has been in violation since June 2022.” The issues began after the school decided to go in for redevelopment in 2019, and due to the lack of space, opted for a shift system for its students.
Advocate Apurva Agarwal, partner at Universal Legal, who represented Lotlikar in a writ petition filed before the Bombay high court in January, said the matter needed urgent attention. “Not only has the school defaulted by providing a compromised education to its students, but it has also come to light that they have been operating a shift system without legal authorisation,” he said. “All of this has had a direct, irreversible and adverse impact on the students. Despite the GRC order issued on February 18, and subsequent directives from the education inspector of the Mumbai South Zone, the school has shown no signs of achieving compliance for the 2026-27 academic year. While we acknowledge that full compliance may not be achieved overnight, students simply cannot afford to lose another academic year.”
Responding to the development, Sunita George, principal of Bombay Scottish School, said the school had received the grievance committee’s communication. “The recommendations are under consideration,” she said.
