E-Paper
Now select government secondary schools to run on PPP model
Under it, the government plans to make available infrastructure, including land and buildings, while private firm or individual would run and manage it, say a senior official of the state education department aware of the development.
In an effort to give a fillip to quality of education in government-run select secondary schools in UP, the Yogi government has decided to introduce public private partnership (PPP) model in these institutions.
Under it, the government plans to make available infrastructure, including land and buildings, while private firm or individual would run and manage it, say a senior official of the state education department aware of the development.
The government could also soon create a post and appoint an officer on special duty/advisor for drafting of a policy and its implementation, he added.
In light of the development, director (secondary education) Vinay Kumar Pandey has sent a missive to senior officials of his department. In the missive, a copy of which is with HT, Pandey has instructed additional director (secondary education) Mahendra Dev, deputy education director (camp) Vivek Nautiyal and assistant education director (sports) JK Verma instructing them to prepare a formal proposal for the PPP model.
Officials share that CM Yogi Adityanath has personally evinced interest in introducing the initiative in the state.
However this is not the first time that PPP model is being attempted by the state government in education sector, share officials.
To make quality education available for students of rural areas, the state government at behest of the Centre had decided to open 680 schools in different development blocks in phases. Under the initiative, 148 schools in 2010-11 and another 45 schools in 2012-13 were sanctioned. Of these, 191 even got constructed. However the Centre then delinked the scheme. Then the state government decided to operate these schools on PPP model from July 2015. However this initiative also failed to take off, officials said.
The move has, however, not gone down well with the teachers.
“This is nothing but a conspiracy and an effort to privatise education. The state government is failing to provide education to every kid of the state which is mandated in the Right to Education Act. What could be more sad than the state government turning over existing schools in private hands which I fear would present more hurdles for poor children in getting educated,” said Suresh Kumar Tripathi, Teacher MLC (Allahabad-Jhansi division).
