Seven schools of the Chennai Corporation are set to be run by private players in the school education sector. The Corporation has begun talks with three educational trusts from New Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad to run the schools.
After identifying schools in T. Nagar, Triplicane and Chetpet for the public-private partnership, the civic body has started yet another round of screening and will finalise the list of schools this month.
The schools will start functioning in the next academic year. On the lines of the procedure adopted in private schools, admissions to these schools are likely to begin shortly. Any local resident will be able to get admission for their children, free of cost.
Facilities, infrastructure and education at the schools will be on a par with those offered at private schools in the city, with all students on the rolls receiving free education. The civic body is expected to spend at least Rs. 10,000 in a year for every student of these schools.
Addressing a challengeSchools that have less than 25 students have been identified for the scheme. The government stipulates that school with less than 25 students can be closed down. As the civic body has been facing resistance from activists for the closure or merger of such schools, the public-private partnership is expected to be a solution to this challenge.
Most of the 282 Chennai Corporation Schools are facing competition from private schools that attract parents with the promise of English education. Many residents of slum neighbourhoods have incurred huge debts to pay for education in private schools. The new private players at the Corporation schools will start visiting poor households to offer them better education.
Experts in the field of education wonder if this is the first step towards the privatisation of public schools. Some of them point out that the State would have to be involved at every stage and not shirk responsibility towards children, especially those who cannot afford to go to private schools.
The partnership must benefit the children, and the civic body must be closely involved, they note.