Rajasthan plans 100 schools under PPP

The Rajasthan government plans to open 100 schools on a public-private-partnership (PPP) basis in the state. A sum of Rs 40,00,000 is expected to be incurred by the state government on the project.

These schools, which would be opened in remote desert areas, would be provided land free of cost by the government. Moreover, funds for constructing the buildings would also be provided by the state government.

According to the plan, the Rajasthan Prathmik Siksha Parishad would soon invite applications from interested parties, institutions and organisations in this regard. A six member committee headed by the principal secretary, education, would vet these applications and study the proposals for selection.

The organisations or institutions selected would have to start construction of the school buildings within six months' time. The organisation would also have to appoint teachers and other staff for the school. The salaries to the staff would have to be provided by the organisation.

The organisation would be free to charge fees from the students of general category while the state government would pay the fees of the students coming from reserved categories.

Apart from this. the Rajasthan government is planning to have portable schools. These schools, which would be opened initially in Kota, are aimed to connect the school dropouts with education.

"In Kota, we will have 10 such schools. These schools would be near the slums and land has already been sought from the Kota urban improvement trust," officials in the education department said.

The portable schools will require 50 square foot of space and a structure made of bamboos. It would have a room, a toilet and some basic facilities. A portable school is estimated to cost around Rs 120,000.

Despite various efforts, Rajasthan still has a high drop-out rate, which according to estimates, stands at over 34 per cent. The state government has taken various initiatives to improve educational standards in the state, including appointing around 41,000 teachers.

Under the Shiskha Sambal Mahaabhiyaan, 1.65 million children in the age group 6-14 years were enrolled while 9.6 million children were given free text books.