The Pune education department has ordered the cancellation of recognition for 10 schools run by the Sinhgad Technical Education Society after teachers and non-teaching staff reportedly went without salaries for 18 months and teaching was disrupted. The order covers six secondary schools and four primary schools, with implementation scheduled from 1 May 2027.
The action was ordered by Machindranath Kadam, education deputy director for the Pune division, following a hearing into the schools’ prolonged salary arrears and the reported boycott of teaching by teachers. According to the education department’s findings, regular classroom instruction had been affected, causing academic loss for students.
The six secondary schools named in the order are Sinhgad College of Arts, Commerce and Science in Narhe, Ambegaon and Kondhwa; Sinhgad Public School in Khusgaon; and R.M.D. Springdale Secondary School in Warje and Karvenagar-Erandwane.
The four primary schools covered by the order are Sinhgad Springdale School in Ambegaon, Sinhgad Springdale Public School in Vadgaon, Sinhgad City School in Kondhwa and R.M.D. Sinhgad Springdale School in Warje.
The education department said repeated follow-up efforts and earlier directions to clear the salary arrears had not resolved the issue. The institution had previously been instructed to take steps to pay regular and pending salaries by 29 June 2026. As the salary issue continued, the department invoked Rules 7.1, 7.2 and 7.3 of the Secondary School Code to order cancellation of recognition.
During the hearing, the institution cited financial difficulties. It said that substantial reimbursements due from the government under the Right to Education framework remained unpaid. The institution also said that implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission had increased salary and allowance costs, while fees from parents were not being received fully or on time. It argued that the pending RTE reimbursement would enable it to pay the teachers.
The recognition cancellation will not result in the immediate closure of the schools. The order states that implementation will begin from the academic year 2027-28, starting on 1 May 2027. The institution has also been given 30 days to appeal against the decision before the education director.
To prevent further academic disruption, the education department has directed that students from the affected schools be accommodated in other schools. The responsibility for arranging the transfer of primary and secondary students has been assigned to the concerned education officers and the education administration.
The order places the immediate administrative burden on the education system to identify alternative schools and manage student transitions before the implementation date. It also leaves the institution with a defined appeal window, while the salary arrears and RTE reimbursement issues remain central to the dispute. Further action will depend on any appeal filed by the institution and the education department’s arrangements for student adjustment.
