Chapter I PRELIMINARY

1. (1) This Act may be called the Meghalaya School Education Act, 1981.
2. (2) It extends and applies to the whole of the State of Meghalaya: Provision that this Act shall not apply to Primary Schools and Primary Education within the areas of the Autonomous Districts.
3. (3) It shall come into force on such date as the State Government may, by notification, appoint and different dates may be appointed for different areas or provisions of this Act, and any reference to the commencement of the Act in relation to any area of provision thereof shall be construed as reference to the date on which the Act is extended to that area or any provision of the Act comes into force.

Notwithstanding anything contained in Section 1, or any other law for the time being in force, the State Government may, on the recommendation of the District Council, apply this Act to Primary Schools and Primary Education in the Autonomous District concerned.

In this Act, unless the context otherwise require:-

1. (i) Aid or Grant-in-aid means any sum of money paid by the State Government to any educational institution;
2. (ii) Aid School means a recognised private school which receives aid in the form of maintenance and/pr development grant from the State Government or any other authority designated by the State Government;
3. (iii) Appropriate Authority means the Director of Public Instruction or any other officer authorised by the Government in this behalf;
4. (iv) Competent Authority means any person, officer or authority authorised by the Government, by notification, to perform the function of the competent authority under this Act for such area or in relation to such class of educational institution as may be specified in the notification;
5. (v) Constitution means the Constitution of India;
6. (vi) Director means the Director of Public Instruction of Meghalaya or any other officer authorised by the Government to perform all or any of the function of the Director under this Act;
7. (vii) Employees means a teacher and every employee working in a recognised school;
8. (viii) Existing Employee means an employee of an existing school who is employed in such school immediately before the commencement of this Act, and includes an employee who has been employed in such school for a period of not less than twelve months prior to the commencement of this Act;
9. (ix) Existing School means a recognised private school which is in existence at the commencement of this Act;
10. (x) Educational Institution means a recognised school or an institution (including boarding home or hostel or all other premises attached to it), other than a school or an institution imparting religious education only, by whatever name called, the management of which carries on, either exclusively or among other activities, the activity of imparting education therein;
11. (xi) Government means the Government of the State of Meghalaya;
12. (xii) Head of School means the principal academic officer, by whatever name called of a recognised school;
13. (xiii) Inspection includes the scrutiny of records, and registers in regard to buildings, libraries, laboratories, playgrounds and other allied matters and overall appraisal of the educational institution and its functionaries It also includes supervision and examination of academic work, discipline and except in the case of a minority school of internal administration of the institution;
14. (xiv) Managing Committee means the body of individuals who are entrusted with the management of any recognised private school;
15. (xv) Minority School means schools established and administered by a minority having the right to do so under Clause (1) of Article 30 of the Constitution;
16. (xvi) Prescribed means prescribed by Rules made under this Act;
17. (xvii) Prescribed Authority means any authority prescribed by rules made under this Act; (xviii) Private School means a school which is not run by the Central Government, State Government, a District Council or any other authority designated or sponsored by the State Government;
18. (xix) Public Examination means an examination conducted by the Meghalaya Board of School Education, Council for Indian School Certificate Examination or any other Board/Body recognised or which may be recognised by the Government or any other officer authorised by the Government in this behalf;
19. (xx) Recognised School means a school recognised by the appropriate authority;

1. (xxi) School includes pre-primary, primary, middle and high school, or any institution which imparts technical or vocational education or training up to certificate or diploma level;
2. (xxii) School Property means all movable and immovable property belonging to, or in the possession of the School and all other rights and interest in, or arising out of such property and includes land, buildings, and its appurtenances, playgrounds, hostels, furniture; books, apparatus , maps, equipments, utensils, cash, reserve funds, investments and bank balances. (xxiii) Teacher includes the Head of School;
3. (xxiv) Unused Minority School means a recognised minority school which does not receive any aid.