Project Alankar: Struggling to find dilapidated Sanskrit schools willing for renovation aid

The budget of ₹28 crore released in 2021 for the renovation of government-aided Sanskrit secondary schools that are more than 50 years old under the scheme got lapsed, officials said.

Officials are struggling to find enough government-aided Sanskrit secondary schools in Uttar Pradesh willing to take benefit of the state government’s ‘Project Alankar’ scheme and get their buildings renovated.

The state presently has 958 Sanskrit schools offering education to students from classes 6 to 12 and as per the norms of the scheme, priority is to be given to those schools where more than 100 students are studying. (FOR REPRESENTATION PURPOSE)

This is owing to the fact that to be eligible to receive funds from the state government under the initiative, the school managements too need to bear 50% of the renovation cost. This has resulted in most school managements dragging their feet on embracing the opportunity, informed state education department officials.

Due to this, the budget of ₹28 crore released in 2021 for the renovation of government-aided Sanskrit secondary schools that are more than 50 years old under the scheme got lapsed, they concede.

Now this year again, the state government on August 26 earmarked a budget of ₹28 crore for this mission and sought a proposal from district magistrates to renovate the dilapidated buildings of aided Sanskrit secondary schools in their respective districts.

Under the initiative, such schools with 100 to 250 students can be offered a maximum of ₹25 lakh (if the school is non-residential) or ₹50 lakh (if the school is residential) with the support going up to ₹50 lakh and ₹75 lakh respectively if the school has 250 to 500 students while the maximum support of ₹75 lakh can be extended if the school is residential and has over 500 students dependent upon their meeting other set criteria under the scheme, stated the GO sent by the then additional chief secretary (secondary education) Aradhana Shukla, a copy of which is with HT.

The state presently has 958 Sanskrit schools offering education to students from classes 6 to 12 and as per the norms of the scheme, priority is to be given to those schools where more than 100 students are studying.

“An affidavit will have to be given by the school management to give 50 per cent amount for the renovation. For example, if there are 100 to 250 students in a school and if the state government allows a maximum amount of ₹50 lakh for renovation of its building, then the school management will also have to pay an equal share of 50 lakh,” explained the officials.

District level committees have been constituted under the chairmanship of the district magistrates to identify the schools, they added.

The executive engineer of PWD and the finance and accounts officer of the secondary education department have been designated as members of the committee while the district inspector of schools (DIOS) of the district concerned has been made its member secretary, the officials said.

Explaining the dilemma of government-aided Sanskrit secondary schools, the manager of Saudamini Sanskrit College, Prayagraj Prof MC Chattopadhyay said that if Sanskrit schools had money, they would have got the buildings repaired or renovated themselves. “What is the need to look at the government for this. We are extending free education to the children and managing through donations. We don’t have lakhs for renovation,” he claimed.

Officials shared that so far management of only five government-aided Sanskrit schools from across the Prayagraj division have given written consent to give a 50% matching amount for the renovation of their buildings. Of these, only two schools from Prayagraj district including Kulbhaskar Ashram Krishi Inter College and Vikramaditya Singh Inter College, Bahariya, they added.