BMC okays PPP model for its schools
After much deliberation, the BMC standing committee has approved a proposal to allow public-private partnership (PPP) in the management of civic schools. “We must raise the quality of our schools to that of private ones. We are not selling them — only the management will be private. There will be regular checks on the administration and we will ensure that children do not bear the brunt of this move,” said Additional Municipal Commissioner Mohan Adtani.
At the end of the three-hour meet on Wednesday, members resorted to a vote. While all 11 members of the Opposition voted against the proposal, the BJP-Shiv Sena coalition — with a majority of 14 votes — swayed the ballot in favour of adopting the PPP model.
Of an estimated 16 lakh students in Mumbai, at least 4.5 lakh attend the civic body’s 1,167 primary and secondary schools. In 2004, 50 municipal schools were put under NGOs as part of a pilot initiative by the BMC. Earlier this month, education committee chairman Vitthal Kharatmol said the BMC, much like private institutes, will set up a trust to run the civic schools. This proposed Trust will pay the salaries of the staff and teachers, who will be hired by the managing NGOs.
Member of the standing committee and Congress corporator, Praveen Chheda, alleged that ever since 2004, the BMC has planned to hand over schools to private entities to reduce the education budget.
SP leader and member of the standing committee, Raees Sheikh, said: “This is just a way for the BMC to escape from its duty.” MNS corporator Dilip Lande of N ward said maybe tomorrow BMC will privatise hospitals because they are in bad shape. Congress corporator Asif Zakaria of the H-West ward said, “Our roads are always in bad shape, why don’t we privatise that?”