Gujarat has approved amendments to its secondary and higher secondary education law, introducing mandatory reservation in staff recruitment at government-aided private schools along with tougher penalties for several violations.

The Gujarat Assembly has passed amendments to the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Act, 1972. The changes are designed to strengthen recruitment rules, improve regulatory oversight and promote greater transparency in the state's secondary education system.

Reservation to Apply to School Staff Recruitment

Gujarat's existing reservation policy will now apply to staff recruitment in aided private schools. The government has presented the measure as a way to make appointments more transparent and reduce the possibility of arbitrary recruitment decisions.

New Provisions for Special Educators

The amendment formally recognises special educators within the school education framework. Their inclusion is intended to improve support for students with disabilities and those requiring specialised educational assistance.

For government-aided schools, the state government will establish rules concerning eligibility, recruitment procedures and selection processes for principals, teachers, special educators and non-teaching personnel.

In private schools that do not receive government grants, these matters will be governed through regulations issued by the state government.

Major Increase in Penalties

The amendments significantly raise the penalties for a number of violations involving school managements.

Illegal appointments

The penalty for unlawfully appointing a principal or teacher in a grant-in-aid secondary or higher secondary school will rise from the previous Rs 1,000 provision to a fine of up to Rs 10 lakh.

Operating an unregistered school

Schools will not be allowed to provide education without registration with the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board.

A violation can result in one to two years of imprisonment, a fine between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 15 lakh, or both. This is a substantial increase over the earlier fine of Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2 lakh.

Closing a school without notice

The amendment also increases the penalty for closing a registered secondary or higher secondary school during the academic year without giving the required notice to the Board.

The earlier Rs 1,000 penalty for failing to provide six months' notice will be replaced by a Rs 20 lakh penalty.

The government has said the stricter provision is intended to prevent sudden interruptions to students' education.

Clearer Classification of Schools

The amendments provide clearer legal distinctions between grant-aided and non-grant-aided schools. The government believes clearer definitions will reduce administrative uncertainty and strengthen the regulatory role of the education board.

Overall, the legislation aims to promote fairness, accountability, inclusion and efficiency across the secondary and higher secondary education system.

Changes to Education Board Representation

The amendment also changes provisions governing representation and elections involving different groups within the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board.

Teacher representation

The rules concerning teacher representation have been revised. Teachers from registered secondary schools, subject to specified exclusions including post-basic and government schools, will elect a representative.

Separate arrangements will apply to representation from government schools, higher basic schools and higher secondary schools.

Non-teaching employees

The revised provision expands representation for non-teaching staff. It covers both government-aided private schools and schools operating without government grants at the secondary and higher secondary levels.

Parent Association representation

The eligibility framework for Parent Association representation has also been expanded. The amendment removes the earlier restriction that limited the provision to private schools.

Presidents of Parent Associations from registered secondary and higher secondary schools will therefore be eligible to participate in the relevant election process.