Mumbai: The Anjuman-I-Islam Trust is under the scanner for allegedly operating a fake school named "Badruddin Tayyabji Urdu High School" between 2014-15 and 2018-19. The management has denied the allegation, though.

At the instance of the Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights’ (MSCPCR), the BMC's south Mumbai education inspector conducted an inquiry into the allegations against the Trust-run school levelled by a parent and and Nitin Dalvi of the Maharashtra State Student Parent Teacher Federation.

Education inspector Gajanan Mandade, in his inquiry report (FPJ has a copy), highlighted that school leaving certificates (SLCs) for 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, and 2020 mentioned the name of the school as "Anjuman-I-Islam High School."

However, certificates for 2017 and 2018 referred to it as "Anjuman-I-Islam Badruddin Tayyabji Urdu High School." The institution’s website advertised admissions under "Anjuman-I-Islam High School," while some pages of the school diary mentioned "Badruddin Tayyabji Urdu High School" for the academic years 2022-23 and 2024-25. Examination mark sheets for 2017-18 and 2018-19 listed "Badruddin Tayyabji Urdu High School" as the institution’s name. The name change was not government- approved, and administrative lapses were identified.

The report concluded that it was the responsibility of the then principal, Sabina Zaveri, to submit a proposal for the name change and obtain the necessary approvals. However, this process was not completed. The unauthorised use of the new name in official documents and on the website constitutes a violation of rules.

The institution’s management has also been criticised for failing to address the issue in a timely and appropriate manner. Mandade has sought immediate clarification from the chairman and secretary of the Anjuman-I-Islam Trust regarding these irregularities.

According to the report, leaving certificates bearing the name of "Badruddin Tayyabji Urdu High School" were issued to students despite such an school being unrecognised. The report noted: "This is a serious issue as it directly impacts the legitimacy of the students’ certificates and their future opportunities.”

In reply to an RTI application made by a parent, the dducation department confirmed that "Badruddin Tayyabji Urdu High School" does not exist in the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) database.

Despite this, it continues to be listed in brochures, the institution’s website, and other materials, alleged Dalvi. "What will happen to those students who got their certificates from a fake school? They risk losing their jobs and careers when their organisation investigates their education certificates,” he said.

Jahid Hussain Idrisi, a concerned parent, initially flagged the issue to the South Mumbai Education Inspector’s office. He claimed that "Badruddin Tayyabji Urdu High School" was not officially registered, while the institution was operating under the name "Anjuman-I-Islam High School." Idrisi further alleged that the unregistered name appeared on report cards and SLCs.

Zaheer Kazi, President of the Anjuman-I-Islam board, however, denied the allegations. Talking to The Free Press Journal, he said, "These allegations are totally fake. The complaint is bogus and our department is dealing with the matter. Nothing will come out of it. The school has been running since 1872; how can it be fake? They are just saying the school is running with this name or that name. The school is still running, whichever name it may be. How can a name make a school running for centuries a fake one?"

In 2019, an inquiry led by the then Deputy Education Inspector, Rajendra Ahire, concluded that the then school principal Zaveri had mistakenly used the name as a tribute to founding member Badruddin Tayyabji. Zaveri had apologised, stating that the name was used internally and assured that it would not recur. However, Dalvi’s recent claims suggest that the name continues to appear in official materials.

Dalvihas called for an investigation into the number of students who received certificates under the purported fake school name. Additionally, complaints have been lodged with the Mumbai police.