Anyone can start a Play school in India. You know what that means, don’t you ?

The unfortunate series of events that befell on a wonderful child, set in motion by the very souls who were duty bound to protect her has now gradually receded from the public memory. The state education machinery, caught off-guard, as usual, went into knee-jerk reaction mode, slapping criminal cases against 186 city schools in Bangalore for not implementing the hastily put-together safety guidelines for schools. The deadline was August 31, 2014 and the school managements have , on their turn recorded their inabilities as grievances in enforcing them, for which a Special Cell has now been created to look into it.

The city is back to the daily grind, till the next unfortunate turn of events bring it out to the streets. There is, but, a fundamental aspect of the entire process of organized education for children that the entire media and the community has missed out even now, which is in fact frightening – that of the rise and rise of Play schools in India including Daycare centers in the cities of India.

Take Bangalore city, for instance. An uncontrolled, haphazard rise of Play schools & Daycare centers is clearly visible in any urban pocket of the Garden city, and it is deeply chilling on two levels :

1. One does not need any official clearances, affiliations nor qualifications to begin a Play school in India.

2. The state of Karnataka’s education department has no clue on the number of Play schools in the city, forget the entire state

The State Education department, which regulates the educational institutions of Karnataka is oblivious ( deliberate or callous, we are yet to know ) to a level of education or activity-based education that exists for pre-school children. There is no other explanation for the lack of control that exists in pre-school education in the state.

The Karnataka Education Act insists in Section V of its regulations that :

30. Educational institutions to be registered.-
(1) Save as otherwise provided in this Act, every local authority institution and every private educational institution established on or before the date of commencement of this Act or intended to be established thereafter, shall not withstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force, be registered in accordance with this Act and the rules made there under.

(2) No person or local authority shall establish or as the case may be, run or maintain an educational institution requiring registration under this section, unless such institution is so registered.

The ground realities are entirely different. Here is how it pans out in real life :

1.You don’t need official clearances

Anyone with a premise and financial resources can start a Play school in Bangalore city. ANYONE. It is beyond the purview of the Karnataka Shops & Commercial Establishments Act (1961) and though within the limits of the Karnataka Education Act, is deliberately ignored. One can set their own academics fee structure, which means sky is the limit, and also set the remuneration standards for the instructors / teachers.There is no tax levied on the institution from any body, and the overheads are all the expenses the “Play School as a business” encounters in its day-to-day running.

2.You don’t need affiliations

A mention of the Montessori system of education is the magic wand that opens up the floodgates of revenue for the management and the stamp of “reliability” for the parent, but sadly, the ground reality for the latter is way different.Though the state Department of Education has checks and balances in place to whet out and affiliate a school – there a tens of thousands of play schools and day care centres that spring up with no requirement for any licence/back ground check.

3.You don’t need a set of qualifications

No one checks for the qualifications of the Play school your child spends time for a reasonable part of the day, sadly, not even the parents, in most cases. From the teachers to the helpers / assistants who actually are duty bound to take care of your child, have no minimum qualification strictures binding them. The friendly “didi” who is your child’s best friend from Play school, and who helps change diapers for her doesn’t go through any state-regulated academic/skill-set filters to be a part of the Play school’s team. Think about it.

In short, it means this : That Play school that your 3 –year old and the love of your life spends a good part of the day in Bangalore city does not come under the ambit of any child education controls set by the state in real life. The friendly assistant who takes care of your child need not have any basic educational qualifications nor any background checks, while being employed to spend a good part of your child, taking care, tending to him/her and even assisting them with their bodily functions. He/she could be a Pedophile or a closeted one, who would use this as an easy mechanism to befriend innocent children.You will never know. The same goes for the teachers too.

It is high time the state education department sits up and take notice of this glaring lacunae in the state education system, starting with control, affiliation and qualifications. If left unchecked, we would have none but ourselves to blame for another unfortunate event, we feel, is just around the corner.

17 Comments

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  1. Hi,

    We are newly opened Montessori pre-primary school in Belthur, Kadugodi, Bangalore. I have come across your organization and your teacher training program. I am currenly looking for a Montessori trained teacher. Please notify me if you have any candidates looking for the Montessori teaching position.

    Thanks and Regards,
    Yogeeswari

    Dayspring Montessori House of Children,
    Belthur, Kadugodi.

    Contact: 8095095400
    Email :info@dayspringacademy.in

  2. Dear Team,

    Please let me know whether the establishment need to convert for the commercial use in order to run a play school. Currently I am using my own to facilitate the Play School activities.

    Regards,
    Ingita

  3. Hi,
    I am planning to start a play school… What is the procedure to get license for school.. Whom to contact… So, kindly provide me these details.
    Mob: 9535926319

  4. Hi

    I want to start my own play school . What are the rules and regulations? For children certificates who are the signing authority?

  5. I have gone through several website where the articles are of 2014 , where they say that there is no permission required from education department for running a preschool but when I enquired with my friends they told me that the rules have been changed and you have to take permission from the education department or else unnecessary problem arises I just wanted to know whether it is necessary to take the permission to start a preschool or not? if yes pls let me know the procedure n expences

  6. Hi,
    We here at Chikmagalur, Karnataka have started with a pre school consisting of Nursery, L.K.G and U.K.G. And have obtained permission up till class 5th from the education department. So we have stated construction at a near by place with a lease for the plot as it is of our family friend. But now there is objection from a bar next to the plot and is with Inn 70 meters of the construction school site. And have complained saying that the bar is ter from the past 20 years and how can the authorities approve school license next to bar. So how to deal with this. Can some one let me know that to start a bar there should not be a school in 100 meters radius, but to start a school will it be a problem of a bar. Is an Institute important or a bar.

  7. I agree with all the points stated in the above article. These plays school are opened in residential apartment with access to anyone. Nor these playschools have enough space for large number of children to freely play. So they run around within apartments exposing these little ones to outsiders. Also creating nuisance to residents.

    With so many little ones being subject to physical, sexual and emotional harassment playschools, pre-schools should be brought under the same ambit as that of a school and should only be allowed to open in a safe environment accessible only to kids, teachers and parents.

    Regards,
    Ria

  8. Hi,
    I am planning to start a day care and later on a play school… What is the procedure to get license for school.. Whom to contact… So, kindly provide me these details. Please tell me, do i need license dor day care or not.?
    regards
    kashish sandhu
    9972072599
    kashishsandhu@ymail.com

  9. I plan to start a Day care center in Noda. What license/registrations are required for this ? What are the Fire Safety Standards and how can I implement these. standards.

    • Dear Ma’am. We can help you with all your requirements and initial inquiry. Please contact 9699606412 for information. Thanks.

  10. i am planning to start a baby seating in madurai tamilnadu where should i have to get permission what is the procedure please guide me

    • Dear Ma’am. We can help you with all your requirements and initial inquiry. Please contact 9699606412 for information. Thanks.

  11. sushama sonawale

    Hi,
    I am B.com passed I worked as a computer teacher in school . I want to start a play school at home what is qualification required & What is procedure for this pledge guide me.

  12. Even I done bcom working as a tecaher and I want to start a play home
    How can I start
    My investment is very less
    And m doing it in my house itself
    Wat is the certificate I should provide for dem pls suggest me

  13. Dear Sir\Madam

    Please cont-on this number 7349683004
    if any one looking to open for Play school in Bangalore
    state Franchise\Franchise in Karnataka play school UKG & LKG
    Thanks
    Kumar
    Mobile:7349683004

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