School
A central pillar of the committee’s findings is that post-2017 infrastructure and safety norms cannot be retrospectively forced onto older institutions. As per the recommendations, existing school buildings under 15 metres in height established prior to 2017-18 should be completely exempted from obtaining or renewing fire safety no-objection certificates (NOCs). For school buildings taller than 15 metres, the panel proposed extending fire NOC validity from two years to 5-10 years and standardising the statewide NOC fee from Rs 20,000 to Rs 5,000. The committee called for scrapping redundant paperwork—reducing more than 30 documents—and establishing two separate online portals: one for new school approvals and another specifically tailored for the renewal of pre-2017–18 schools.
Similarly, in order to prevent SSLC and PUC students from being forced to register as private candidates due to delayed administrative renewals, the panel recommended granting provisional renewals so that students can appear for board exams under their institution’s name. -Lowering of the minimum required student strength for recognition renewal from 25 to 20 students due to declining birth rates and shifting demographics
Instead, it recommended a “safe exit rule,” freezing Grade 1 admissions while allowing existing batches to graduate naturally year by year. Instead, schools must maintain functional fire extinguishers, sand buckets, trained staff, and clear exit pathways. To protect students in multi-curriculum institutions operating on a single campus without separate approvals, the committee rejected abrupt school closures.