Mumbai: With a little over 10 days remaining for the start of the new academic year on June 16, the Orchid International School in Chunabhatti, Sion has informed parents that students may be shifted to another campus as final approval from the education department for the Chunabhatti campus was still pending.The Orchid International School in Chunabhatti, Sion has informed parents that students may be shifted to another campus (Raju Shinde/HT Photo)The development has left many parents worried about their children’s education and daily travel arrangements, and prompted calls for fair refund options for those who may choose to withdraw their enrolment.“We enrolled our children here solely because the campus was close to our homes. We were never informed that the school building was unauthorised. Now, just ten days before the academic year begins, we are being told that the campus may not be operational and students may be shifted to other branches,” the parent of a student said, requesting anonymity.According to parents, the school conducted admission proceedings for the 2026-27 academic year and collected fees on the understanding that the Sion campus would continue to operate. However, they began receiving official communication from the school this week, saying students may need to be shifted to other Orchid campuses if required.“Nearly 90% of parents have already paid the fees and were expecting classes to begin at the Sion campus,” the parent quoted earlier said. “Earlier, when construction work was carried out while classes were ongoing at the school, we had raised concerns.”Several parents questioned why the pending approval status was not disclosed before admissions were completed. They also sought clarity on the financial, logistical and emotional impact of a possible relocation, and sought a refund in case they withdrew their children from the school.Deputy director of school education Rajesh Kankal said the school’s approval was pending because the building did not have the required Occupation Certificate (OC).“The school recently submitted the necessary documents to us, and we have forwarded the proposal to the state government for consideration,” he said.The problem came into sharp focus after Mustaq Shaikh, education officer of the north division, issued a letter in March regarding the operation of unauthorised schools. The letter stated that under provisions of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, unauthorised schools could face a fine of ₹1 lakh, along with an additional penalty of ₹10,000 per day if they continued to operate after receiving notice.The letter directed managements of errant schools to shift students to nearby recognised schools before the start of the 2026-27 academic year to avoid academic loss. It stated that no new admissions should be accepted until required approvals were obtained, and warned of legal action, including possible police complaints, if schools continued to function without authorisation.Education officials said that schools were expected to begin operations only after receiving final approval from the government.Responding to queries from HT, a representative of the school management said, “We will reopen the school on July 1. We have informed parents that we are in process of getting approval.”