MUMBAI, Nov. 25 -- The death of a 13-year-old student ordered to do 100 sit-ups for reporting to school late has revealed some disturbing truths - 9% of illegal schools in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) are in Vasai-Virar. That's 97 illegal schools in Vasai-Virar - 69 primary and 28 secondary schools - according to a survey by the state education department, this year. Moreover, according to the Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC), there are 217 authorised schools in the region. This means, 31% of schools in the region are unauthorised. Education activists say many of the illegal schools are not affiliated to a school board, they operate out of unauthorised structures, and are not approved by the state education department. Matters have come to such a pass that the education department, while unable to explain why illegal schools have been allowed to proliferate, has instructed all authorised schools in the Vasai-Virar region to prominently display the approval letter given to the institution. At the Shree Hanumant Vidya Mandir High School, whose student recently died, it was quite the opposite. The investigation into her death revealed that the education department had posted a notice outside the school, declaring it as unauthorised for operating out of an illegal structure. The notice, pasted on a board, had been cleverly concealed by the school with a school banner. As the population of Vasai-Virar grows, the number of illegal schools too has risen. This is especially true of the east, where chawls have been mushrooming on encroached land. The education department survey revealed that of the 97 unauthorised schools, more than half were in Pelhar - 66 schools. Yash Mane, a local social activist, says gullible parents are falling for an old trick - give the "school" an English name and call it a "convent school", reputed to offer a solid education. "False claims like this cost us money and the future of our kids," said Amin Shaikh, a shopkeeper whose son Aman, 14, was forced to drop out of "Annie Besant English School", which lacked the requisite permissions. "My son wasted a year after the school he studied in was declared illegal and shut. We had been assured by the principal that it had all the permissions," recalls Lalita Kanade, 43, whose son Ayush, 13, was in class eight at the "Pole Star School' in Nalasopara, which was shut in 2024. "Usually, a school owner opens one or two classes in temporary structures, which over time develop into buildings. More classes are added by offering bribes. Since these schools don't have permissions, their Class 10 students sign up for the board exam through an authorised school in the area," said an education activist. That's exactly what used to happen at the Shree Hanumant Vidya Mandir High School. The school, opened in 2009, had permission to operate only till Class 8 but was running classes till Class 10. Ramashrya Yadav, the school's owner and principal, said, "We had permission to run the school up to the 8th standard. But students who passed Class 8 preferred to keep studying in the school. So we taught them in the same premises as a coaching class." The education department releases a list of illegal schools every year in April or May. "We are taking appropriate measures to see that the future of the kids is not compromised. We conduct surveys every year and take action against illegal schools which operate with fake permissions," said Sonali Maekar, district education officer. And, yet, the number of illegal schools in Vasai-Virar has gone up to 97 from 71 last year. Cases were registered against 58 of them but some of these schools are still operating, according to the state education department. Worse, as much as 9% of unauthorised schools in MMR are in Vasai-Virar. That's 97 of a total 1,057 in MMR, according to data tabled in the state legislature in July. Of the total, 420 schools were found to be illegal in Mumbai. According to education activist Nitin Dalavi, illegal schools are liable to pay a fine of Rs.1 lakh and an additional Rs.10,000 per day for continuing operations, and yet many continue to operate. Dalavi said action is minimal and inconsistent. "These schools lack trained teachers and do not meet basic safety norms but they are not fined. School education department officials said immediate action is not possible in all cases, as shutting a school involves several steps. Notices are first issued, and if the school shows no improvement, it is marked as "illegal'. Before closure, the school must be sure that every student can be accommodated in a nearby government or authorised private school....