Build govt school, make a loved one immortal

PRAYAGRAJ : The Prayagraj-headquartered Basic Shiksha Parishad has sent a proposal to the state government whereby members of the public will be allowed to construct a government-run primary or upper primary school or a block, and have the freedom to name it after a family member, officials privy to the decision said.

In what seems to be a win-win situation, the state government will be relieved of the responsibility of constructing school buildings, while you may be able to have the name of a loved one remembered for years to come by naming the school building that you construct after them.

UP Basic Shiksha Parishad secretary Ruby Singh, however, made it clear that the scheme, if implemented, would entail well laid-down rules that an individual would need to strictly adhere to, including getting the name cleared, after whom the building is to be named.

“This includes construction of a complete block and not a part of it, besides getting prior permission to proceed with the initiative from the Basic Education department.

“A proposal in this regard was considered at a meeting of the Basic Shiksha Parishad and put forth at a high-level meeting held in the state capital. At the meeting, the proposal received a go ahead and has been sent to the state government for approval,” she said.

The move is being viewed as an effort to make available better buildings and facilities in government-run primary and upper primary schools spread across the state without putting the financial burden of it on the state government.

The aim is to tap the wellheeled who wish to construct a school or one block of it in the memory of a loved one.

The individual concerned would also be free to name the building after a freedom fighter, social worker etc. Officials maintain that the step takes away from

such people and families the need to undergo the lengthy construction and recognition process for a new school.

The state currently has over 1 lakh government-run primary schools and another 50,000 some upper primary schools spread across 75 districts of the state. A large number of these schools buildings were constructed years back and are now falling apart, while also requiring more new buildings.

The state government does release funds for repair of the buildings and even construction of new ones, additional classrooms etc but it’s quite inadequate, officials concede.