No schools without playgrounds: BMC
Shalini Nair
Schools will no longer be allowed to mushroom at every nook and
corner without proper open spaces for its students for recreation purposes.
The BMC’s improvements committee has approved an amendment to the
development control (DC) rules that makes it mandatory for any new
educational institution to provide a minimum 40% of their total area for a
playground.
Under the current DC rules, 15% of the land must be for open spaces
while developing a land between 1,000 sq mt and 2,500 sq mt, 20% for 2,500
sq mt to 10,000 sq mt and 25% for an area above 10,000 sq mt. However, there
are no rules specifically for educational institutions that come up on
smaller plots. This has led to a spate of new schools in the suburbs that
have been built with no provision for playgrounds. While a few that are in
close proximity to public playgrounds like Shivaji Park use them for their
sports related activities, students in other areas are left with no
alternative.
“Many schools, especially the older ones in the island city, have no
playgrounds. Ample space for physical activities is very important to a
child’s growth but in Mumbai schools it is a luxury,” said Avnita Bir,
principal of Podar International school (CBSE) at Santacruz. Bir said that
except for the schools in Navi Mumbai, many of the new ones including the
state board and International Baccalaureate schools have been constructed
without any provision for playgrounds. “Rules for affiliation to the ICSE
and CBSE schools are more stringent and it is difficult to get affiliation
unless the school has enough space for a playground,” she added.
While educationists hail the modification to the DC rule, they also say
that when viewed in the broader perspective the rule might serve to reduce
the access of poorer students to private schools.
“Earlier, when a charitable organisation came forward with a proposal to
start an educational institution, the government would provide them grants
or make available land at concessional rates. Now the system has been
stopped leading to only people interested in making a business out of
education being able to afford starting new schools and colleges instead of
committed people,” said Arvind Vaidya, convener of Shikshan Hakk Abhiyan.