More than a third of the 5,500 schools in the national capital do not meet fire safety norms, official data accessed by HT shows, putting one of the most vulnerable populations at risk.
According to data as of January 1, 2026, from the Delhi Fire Services, only 3,572 private and government-aided schools have obtained the mandatory fire No Objection Certificates (NOC). A total of 1,928 schools, or around 35%, have either yet to receive certification or to clear fire safety inspections, the data showed.
A senior fire official said that, while the data is compiled yearly in records, they have not received any new applications in the last two and half months.
It was not immediately clear how many of these are either government-aided or private.
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Under the National Building Code of India, 2016, a fire NOC certifies that the building complies with “minimum standards for fire prevention and fire safety for buildings”, according to the Delhi Fire Services Rules. It is valid for a period of three years for non-residential buildings, including schools.
To be sure, not all buildings require NOCs. For instance, buildings where each floor individually is under 9 metres don’t require the clearance.
A Delhi Fire Service official said, “The NOC ensures that buildings have functional safety systems such as extinguishers, alarms, and evacuation plans. Schools that do not comply are advised to address deficiencies and reapply. Regular inspections are carried out, but compliance remains uneven.”
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Fire officials said that schools without fire NOCs fall broadly into two categories: those that have not applied and those that have failed to meet prescribed safety standards during inspections and the NOC has not been given to them.
Once a school applies for an NOC, the fire department then carries out an inspection and the school is informed of its status in the following 7-10 days.
Common issues include inadequate emergency exits, non-functional firefighting equipment, and lack of trained staff to handle emergencies, the official quoted above added.
The Delhi government’s directorate of education oversees the functioning of schools. When asked for comment, Delhi education minister Ashish Sood told HT that, while he had not been aware of the data, steps will be taken to ensure that the schools get their certifications soon.
“The previous governments never bothered to pay attention to fire safety and did not get any audits or checks done. We are going to conduct a citywide fire audit and will check all schools as well,” said Sood.
DFS retired divisional officer AK Bhatnagar said, “It’s very important for schools to have fire safety equipment and NOC from the department. Without fire safety, the children are at a risk.”
Referring to the government’s “Safe School Campaign” launched on April 14 to strengthen fire safety compliance across schools, Sood said, “The safe school campaign is also aimed at educating the schools about the necessity of having the fire NOC. Whatever shortcomings are found, will be rectified.”
Government officials said the campaign included awareness sessions, mock drills and inspections across educational institutions. However, the campaign details shared by the government does not include a crackdown on the schools without a valid fire NOCs and, according to fire officials aware of the matter, hardly any schools applied for the certificate during the past week even as the campaign is set to end on Monday.