Pune: Days after Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) approved funds to a private agency to run civic schools, more organisations are coming forward to take charge of such schools and study centres.Earlier this month, the civic body’s approval to provide per-student financial aid to the NGO sparked a controversy. As per the approved proposal, five English-medium PMC schools will be handed over to the NGO for a three-year period for management. The administration will spend Rs 11 crore per year on this project. Activists and opposition leaders have cautioned against and opposed the ruling party over privatisation of civic education.Civic officials said a number of proposals were tabled before the general body for tie-ups with private organisations. The civic administration got a proposal to run a civic school in Bavdhan with the organisation seeking classrooms to operate a night school for 85 students on rent for 30 years. The administration operates an e-learning school on the premises.Another organisation has sought permission to run a study centre and library. The institute is located near Ambil Odha. The facility will be offered on Rs 3,800 per month rent to the operator. Some organisations have already worked with the civic body.Decisions on these proposals were put on the back burner at Tuesday’s general body meeting. They were adjourned after heated arguments between opposition parties and BJP leaders. The Congress tabled an adjournment proposal to condemn the alleged donation theft at Ram temple in Ayodhya which the BJP opposed. The adjournment motion was rejected as more corporators voted against it than in favour.“Financial considerations ultimately drive private managements. There is little incentive for them to prioritise the needs of poor students in rural areas. Both the Centre and the state allocate a relatively small share of their budgets to education. Those in power should increase investment in education, provide adequate teachers and infrastructure, and work to improve quality,” Mahendra Ganpule, spokesperson for Maharashtra School, said.The decision about handing over these schools to private parties will be taken after approval from the elected members. “It is a policy as well as a financial decision. So approval from the standing committee and general body will be required,” a senior official of PMC’s education department said.“The civic body is promoting privatisation of civic schools is not a welcome sign. The state govt and civic administration must make efforts to improve the quality of the education provided through public educational facilities,” Abhijit More, a social activist and AAP functionary, said.BJP leaders have supported the move. “The civic body is making efforts to improve the civic education system. Allowing private organisations is a step in that direction,” standing committee chairman Shrinath Bhimale said.
