Move to privatise 300 schools triggers protests in villages

DEEPPURA-RAJAJI (SIKAR) : Resentment is building up in Rajasthan against the BJP government’s decision to hand over 300 schools to private players on a pilot basis. Villagers across the state are staging sit-ins outside schools to be given on public private partnership (PPP) mode.

At some places villagers are taking to novel ways to express their opposition to the government decision. In Bi kan er district villagers have put locks on gates of all seven schools to be given to private players.

In Sikar district’s Chuvasa, villagers and school children recreated the‘ Chipko’ movement of Uttarak hand by clinging to walls of the senior secondary school to oppose privatisation.

Under the Policy for Public Private Partnership in School Education 2015 that was notified on September 12, 2017, the government has identified 300 schools tobe give non a pilot basis to private partners through a competitive bidding process.

Private parties will be free to appoint teaching and non-teaching staff. Government teachers will be adjusted in other government schools.

Villagers, activists and teach- ers’ associations are criticising the government for abandoning its responsibility to provide education and for handing over its land and resources to private parties.

At Rajkiya Balika Madhya mik Vidyalaya in Raisar, in Bikaner district 350 km west of Jaipur, villagers have locked school gates for the past five days. The school has 240 students and 21 teachers and facilities like classrooms, benches, lights, fans, toilets and water coolers.

Former sarpanch Narayan Singh said the school has recorded good results between 80% and 90% in the past three years. “If the facilities and the quality of education are good then why should this school be given on PPP mode?” he asked. “The private parties will increase fee and employ poorly trained teachers.”