Unaided private schools kept on tenterhooks over upgrade of classes

Hyderabad:Unaided private schools in Telangana have been blocked from upgrading their classes due to a government decision that has left nearly 4,000 applications stalled at district and regional education offices. Schools that had followed the prescribed process, had paid the required inspection fees and submitted their proposals through the official portal now find themselves unable to introduce higher classes for the 2025–26 academic year.

The delay has disrupted the academic plans of thousands of students, many of whom may have to transfer to other schools or relocate if approvals are not granted before admissions begin.

The Telangana Recognized School Managements Association (TRSMA) has raised concerns over the sudden suspension of the process, stating that it contradicts GO MS 1, which governs the establishment and upgrade of private schools. The government order clearly states that recognised schools must obtain class upgrading approvals before June 12 each year, which allows phased expansions from primary to upper primary and high school levels. However, a government memo issued on November 26 has been misinterpreted. It has brought about a freeze on upgrade approvals.

TRSMA representatives argue that the memo was intended to set deadlines for proposals seeking full school upgrades, such as converting a primary school into a high school in one go. It did not, however, mandate suspension of applications for year-by-year class additions. Despite this, the online portal used by district and regional education officers to process class upgrade requests has been disabled.

"The government has stopped the upgrading system. Nearly 4,000 files are pending at the district and regional joint director levels. They halted the process with a memo issued on January 15 and briefly reopened it for four days in February. Class VII students don’t know if they will remain in the same school. Schools are equally confused. If no high school is nearby, relocation becomes the only option. Despite several representations, nothing has changed,” said Madhusudan Sadula, state president of TRSMA.

A formal representation submitted by TRSMA to the director of school education outlined the problem and requested immediate intervention. It stated that under G.O. MS. No. 1, the responsibility of approving class upgrades is assigned to district education officers (DEOs) for 6th and 7th classes, while the regional joint directors are responsible for granting approvals to 8th, 9th and 10th classes. However, despite the clear delegation of authority, the process has been stalled.

The association has urged the government to take immediate action and re-enable the online portal for education officers to process upgrade applications. It has also suggested creating a separate application window for recognised schools seeking to upgrade classes, as the current system forces them to apply alongside new schools.

The education department has yet to clarify whether it will act on TRSMA’s request to resume processing applications or take corrective measures to prevent further disruptions.

Government officials, however, denied the claims that 4000 school applications are stuck, saying, "That is an exaggerated figure. I believe only 600 are stuck. As things stand the November order holds good, and earlier unnecessarily things would delay and spill into the next academic session. Further a lot of these applications are stuck because if improper documentation."