The Bihar Education Department has decided to take strict action against private schools that have failed to follow the Right to Education (RTE) rules. The department has started the process to cancel the recognition of 4,602 private schools across the state. Additional Chief Secretary Dr. B. Rajender issued this order on February 8, 2026, after reviewing the compliance status of schools regarding mandatory reporting.
Why is the Recognition Being Cancelled?
These schools were required to upload their “Intake Capacity” and resource details on the official GyanDeep Portal by January 25. Since they failed to meet this deadline, the administration has asked District Education Officers (DEOs) to seek explanations from the school management. If the schools do not provide a valid reason, their recognition will be permanently cancelled. This negligence has also blocked the reimbursement funds that the government pays to these schools for admitting students under the RTE quota.
New Deadlines and Pending Student Applications
Currently, there are 65,505 online applications for enrollment in the 2026-27 session, but over 34,000 are still stuck at the verification stage. The department has warned Block Education Officers (BEOs) of disciplinary action if they delay the process further. The government has set February 14 as the final date for DEOs to resolve all pending recognition issues so that the admission process can move forward.
| Schools Facing Cancellation | 4,602 |
| Pending Verifications | 34,374 |
| Final Resolution Deadline | February 14, 2026 |
| New Admission Allotment | February 23, 2026 |
Under the new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) introduced in January, schools must now strictly follow staffing rules. Schools with more than 200 students must maintain a teacher-student ratio of 40:1. Inspections by a district-level committee are now mandatory before any recognition is granted.
