Overview: Educational School/Institution

We all know how important education is; it is not only the foundation of a person but also the foundation of a society, or a country. Children are the future of society and therefore for the development of society, children need to be educated. A school is the only place ensuring the holistic development of children. The foremost thing required to set up a school is obtaining a NOC from the concerned state’s Department of Education, it is referred to as Essentially Certificate {EC}. The Department of Education has the power to decide on a school in a particular area. Once the certificate is obtained, the construction must begin within 3 years. If not done, society will have to apply for renewal. School Establishments and recognition laws are made by both states and centres but some may differ in states and centres.

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Now let’s see step by step the process of opening a school.

Type of School You Could Set-up

There are various types of schools; playschool, pre-primary, primary, and secondary.  It is up to you which one you wish to open. You need to decide which classes you are offering. You also need to decide whether you are interested in starting an ICSE School or an IB School. Identify the school with a Trust or Society or If there is a company wishing to invest at the beginning of a school, it has to be registered under section 8 of the Companies Act 2013.

Land Required for Opening a School

• Land can either be leased or purchased - If the land is already there, it needs to be approved for educational purposes by the municipal and education departments of the respective state.
• Different boards have different requirements in terms of land area; it depends on the type of school and location. For land to be allotted, society needs to obtain a “ letter of sponsorship”  from the DOE { Department of Education}
• The specified area must be acknowledged by the Department of Education of the state. For this, the department has to issue an EC i.e Essential Certificate.
• The Certificate suggests that a new school is essential for the area and is not useless. It is the NOC for school construction.
• If the construction doesn’t start within 3 years, the EC expires. 

Plan School Architecture

School Building needs to have consent from the State Board. There are a number of classrooms, libraries, offices, auditoriums, assembly halls, lab facilities, and playground areas. 

For CBSE and ICSE schools, the minimum land area is already specified. The blueprint of the building should be completed when the application for State Board affiliation is cleared. 

Prepare a blueprint

You need to plan everything in advance including how your school is going to operate in five upcoming years. Plan out the location, vacancies for the jobs, faculty, everything.It is a blueprint for your five upcoming years. 

Vision and Mission of the School

The vision and Mission of the school must be outlined and clearly defined. The educational outcomes portrayed by the school and curriculum orientation must be clearly elaborated with the method of assessment of the scholastic development of the students and the school’s efficacy. 

Budget

If you are interested in opening a school up to the 5th standard, your budget will be close to 20 lakhs. If you exceed to 8th standard, the budget shall escalate up to 40-50 lakhs and if you are willing up to the 10th standard, your budget shall be 1 crore. If all goes well and you wish to go for even till the 12th standard, your budget shall be Rs. 1.5 - 2 crore. 

Licenses Required for a Primary School

License is one of the most important parts of the process. This is the list of licenses required:

• Registration Certificate of Society 
• Essentiality Certificate 
• Certificate of Recognition
• Certification of Upgradation 
• Certificate of Affiliation 
• Certificate of MCD
• Affidavit regarding the proper purchase of land and no violation of master plan in the land used 
• Site plan of the building
• Building Fitness Certificate
• Health Certificate
• Water Testing Report
• Completion Certificate
• Duly approved Scheme of Management
• No Loan Certificate against FD was issued by the bank
• Land use Permitted Certificate
• Fire NOC

Government Initiatives for the Primary Education

Programs that are centrally sponsored are being implemented in the Education Sector under the Ministry of Human Resource Development:-

• Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan 
• Mahila Samakhya
• Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya
• Mid-day meal scheme
• Eklavya Model Residential School
• Pre-matric Scholarship Scheme
• Appointment of Language Teachers
• Quality Improvement in School
• Inclusive Education for the Disabled at Secondary School
• National Scheme for Incentives to the Girl Child for Secondary Education
• Strengthening of Teacher’s Training Institutions 
• Scheme for construction and running of Girl’s Hostel for Secondary and Higher Secondary Schools
• Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan 
• National Programme for Education of Girls at Elementary Level
• Adult education and skill development scheme
• Scheme for providing quality education in Madarsas
• National means cum Merit Scholarship Scheme
• Scheme for Infrastructure Development in Minority Institutions 
• Scheme of Vocationalisation of Secondary Education at +2 level 
• Scheme of setting up 6000 Model Schools

Getting Recognition and Affiliation 

• It is necessary for the school to have a State board affiliation.  After the school starts to function, an application form can be sent for CBSE Affiliation.
• A list of licenses and approvals needed with the application can be checked from State Board’s website 
• At first provisional affiliation is given after the inspection done by the state board that visits the school and makes recommendations. 
• Recognition up to the 5th standard is granted by MCD { Municipal Corporation of Delhi } and the land is sold at subsidized rates by the land-owning agency. 

Recruitment of Principal, Teachers, and Admin Staff 

This is the most difficult part of the process and the most integral one. The Education Board of India selects a Principal on the basis of experience and qualifications. The minimum qualification needed is masters in a school-teaching subject with a degree in education. 

The duration of the experience must be 5 years. For recognition up to the 10th and 12th standards, applications for upgradation have to be submitted within a minimum gap of two years. 

Promoting Strategies 

• Advertisements: You can promote your school by adding advertisements in newspapers, brochures, magazines, hoardings, etc. Design a website so that parents can be in touch with your progress. Make sure the website is functional and optimized. It must reflect your values and website. 
• Engage Social Media: It can have a great impact on the admissions to your school. To engage student lead for the school, make connections with neighboring schools. Write articles in local newsletters.
• Host events, competitions, or contests: Host events and when people see your students performing, people automatically have your attention. Involve students in inter-school competitions.
• You can write blogs, and include stories that are not spoken much. Share advice on that blog.

Pre-launch and Opening Ceremony 

Now you are good to go. After promoting the school, open the school office and start taking admission interviews.  Congratulations to you !! You finally made it. It is the time to celebrate and network. Prepare a welcome speech, and let students and parents know your vision about how it is going to add to society. Plan the curriculum, teaching strategies, activities, etc. 

Conclusion 

In this article, we came to know about all the essential licenses required while thinking of opening a primary education Institute. There are different types of schools you can consider while opening yours. In order to open a school, you’ll be needing land, investments, and multiple licenses and there are also some promoting strategies you can put up to use. 

After all, I hope the article was helpful and needed from our side. Corpseed shall help you further with getting all the licenses done.