Plan panel pitch for PPP in schools

In a last ditch effort to attract private sector investment in schools and skill development, the Planning Commission today held a meeting with top industry leaders presenting them with its Public Private Partnership model for these sectors.

In a last ditch effort to attract private sector investment in schools and skill development, the Planning Commission on Tuesday held a meeting with top industry leaders presenting them with its Public Private Partnership model for these sectors.

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Even though the private sector showed interest in the government's new PPP mode, government officials said they did not make any assurance on investments.

Planning Commission deputy chairperson Montek Singh Ahluwalia told the private sector that the government will be launching two schemes shortly for seeking PPP in presence of HRD minister Kapil Sibal and labour minister Mallikarjuna Kharge.

One would be HRD ministry's scheme for setting up 2,500 model schools and the other would be labour ministry's proposal to set up 3,000 Industrial Training Institutes in backward regions of India.

"The initiative in the first phase would involve setting up of 2,500 model schools to create capacity for quality education to about 40 lakh children," the plan panel said, in a presentation to the industry leaders.

Under the model, the private entity will be required to procure land for setting up the school and affiliation to Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE).

The school will charge nominal fee for education of 1,000 students per school as government will re-imburse the cost of education and for the remaining students the private entity could charge fees as per its norms.

The proposal to open 2,500 model schools in PPP was approved in 2007 and for over five years the government has not been able to find interested private parties.

Recently Ahluwalia wrote to industry leaders seeking their help in kick starting the PPP for schools.

Sibal said that need for new schools was huge and with financial constraints, it would not be possible for the government to set up the required number of schools in immediate future and therefore, help of the private sector was needed.

The PPP model for ITI is yet to be approved by the Cabinet.

"Once that is done we will pursue it will different industrial groups," Ahluwalia said after the meeting.