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The government on Saturday set the ball rolling to establish model schools under the public-private partnership (PPP) mode, and agreed to bear the expenses of educating poor students. Around 65 private entities have evinced interest in the model, including ITC Ltd, Jindal Education & Welfare Society, Zee Learn Ltd and Educomp Solutions.
The government worked out the guidelines for the new experiment more than three years after the concept was first mooted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The first such school under the PPP mode is likely to start in the 2015-16 academic session.
The government plans to facilitate the setting up of around 2,500 such schools, out of the 6,000 model schools to be set up in the next few years. The remaining model schools would be set up by fully the government. In the first phase, 41 such schools are planned.
At least 40 per cent of the total students in these schools will have to be from economically weaker sections of society. Education would be free but from Class VI onwards. Schools under this model will come up only in areas classified as non-educationally backward by the ministry of human resource development. Private players were only interested in these areas, officials said.
The minimum number of student strength in such schools would have to be 1,000 and maximum 2,500 from Class VI.
Assuming there are 1,000 students from Class VII, 400 would have to be from the economically backward section. A cost of Rs 2,500 a student a month will give the government a hit of Rs 1.2 crore a year.
The model concession agreement would be approved by an inter-ministerial committee by July 31.
The government, on its part, would reimburse the cost of education of such students, while the private sector would provide land and capital for the construction of school buildings. The remaining students, whose tuition fees would not be reimbursed by the government, will have to pay fees according to the norms in the school concerned.
The government would reimburse the private sector at Rs 2,000-2,500 a month for each student from economically poor backgrounds, including a part of the capital expenditure incurred by the private player. The reimbursement will be for 10 years, with a clause to escalate the reimbursement by five per cent every year.
The concession agreement provides that after Class VII, the school can charge a nominal fee of Rs 50 from poor students as well.
Shalini S Sharma, head of higher education, CII, told Business Standard: “I think the scheme that has been given to the private sector is pretty decent and, hopefully, private people will set up more schools as the expenditure of providing education to 40 per cent of the students will taken care of by the government.”
The model concession agreement, which will signed by the private sector, will be finalised by July 31, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia told reporters, after chairing a meeting with the private stakeholders. “The model schools in PPP mode will help in providing quality education to the poor students,” he said.
Representatives from leading private sector schools and corporate representatives participated in the meeting, which officials said was called at the insistence of the Prime Minister.
Human Resource Development Minister Pallam Raju said in the first stage, 41 blocks have been identified in nine states where the schools will start. “The schools will also have a necessary component of vocational training,” Raju said.
A participant from the private sector said: “The concept is fantastic, but we want bureaucracy to have a minimum role in this.”
The schools will be run and constructed according to the CBSE guidelines. Officials said the private sector will also arrange for teachers’ training, a big bottleneck in improving quality education. The schools can also run a second shift to teach poor students.
The government worked out the guidelines for the new experiment more than three years after the concept was first mooted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The first such school under the PPP mode is likely to start in the 2015-16 academic session.
The government plans to facilitate the setting up of around 2,500 such schools, out of the 6,000 model schools to be set up in the next few years. The remaining model schools would be set up by fully the government. In the first phase, 41 such schools are planned.
At least 40 per cent of the total students in these schools will have to be from economically weaker sections of society. Education would be free but from Class VI onwards. Schools under this model will come up only in areas classified as non-educationally backward by the ministry of human resource development. Private players were only interested in these areas, officials said.
The minimum number of student strength in such schools would have to be 1,000 and maximum 2,500 from Class VI.
Assuming there are 1,000 students from Class VII, 400 would have to be from the economically backward section. A cost of Rs 2,500 a student a month will give the government a hit of Rs 1.2 crore a year.
The model concession agreement would be approved by an inter-ministerial committee by July 31.
The government, on its part, would reimburse the cost of education of such students, while the private sector would provide land and capital for the construction of school buildings. The remaining students, whose tuition fees would not be reimbursed by the government, will have to pay fees according to the norms in the school concerned.
The government would reimburse the private sector at Rs 2,000-2,500 a month for each student from economically poor backgrounds, including a part of the capital expenditure incurred by the private player. The reimbursement will be for 10 years, with a clause to escalate the reimbursement by five per cent every year.
The concession agreement provides that after Class VII, the school can charge a nominal fee of Rs 50 from poor students as well.
Shalini S Sharma, head of higher education, CII, told Business Standard: “I think the scheme that has been given to the private sector is pretty decent and, hopefully, private people will set up more schools as the expenditure of providing education to 40 per cent of the students will taken care of by the government.”
The model concession agreement, which will signed by the private sector, will be finalised by July 31, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia told reporters, after chairing a meeting with the private stakeholders. “The model schools in PPP mode will help in providing quality education to the poor students,” he said.
Representatives from leading private sector schools and corporate representatives participated in the meeting, which officials said was called at the insistence of the Prime Minister.
Human Resource Development Minister Pallam Raju said in the first stage, 41 blocks have been identified in nine states where the schools will start. “The schools will also have a necessary component of vocational training,” Raju said.
A participant from the private sector said: “The concept is fantastic, but we want bureaucracy to have a minimum role in this.”
The schools will be run and constructed according to the CBSE guidelines. Officials said the private sector will also arrange for teachers’ training, a big bottleneck in improving quality education. The schools can also run a second shift to teach poor students.
