Enrolment up, state seeks funds for 2 lakh more children

CHANDIGARH:WITH the enrolment in government schools seeing a significant increase due to student migration from private ones during the Covid-19 lockdown, the Punjab government has sought additional funds and foodgrains from the Centre for 2 lakh more children under the mid-day meal scheme.

The Centre has sanctioned a budget of Rs 304 crore and 46,396 metric tonnes of foodgrains to the Punjab government for providing mid-day meals to 14.05 lakh children of primary and upper primary classes in 2020-21, but the student enrolment has gone up to 16.08 lakh since.

“There is a gap of around 2 lakh between the student enrolment and the number of students for whom foodgrains and funds have been sanctioned by the Centre. We have written to the Union ministry of education raising a supplementary demand for additional funds and foodgrains,” a school education department official said.

The state government had initially proposed to cover 14.45 lakh students of primary (Classes 1 to 5) and upper primary (Classes 6 to 8) in 19,735 government schools. While the ministry’s programme approval board (PAB), which met on June 25, approved funds and foodgrains – rice and wheat in equal proportion – for 8.29 lakh primary and 5.71 lakh upper primary students, the student enrolment also increased in the mean time with many financiallystressed parents shifting their children to government schools from private ones during the coronavirus pandemic-induced lockdown period.

Private schools have been insisting on tuition fees and other charges even though schools are closed whereas everything, from education to textbooks and uniform, is free in state-run schools.

The switch appears to be pronounced in urban and semi-urban areas where lay-offs and pay cuts have been widespread. Mohali, Ludhiana, Pathankot, Fatehgarh Sahib and Bathinda are among the districts which have reported double-digit increase in enrolment number over the previous year’s student strength at elementary level.

IPS Malhotra, OSD to director general of school education, and in-charge of the scheme in Punjab, said the central ministry had agreed to grant additional funds in case of increase in student enrolment, attendance or any other reason. “A request has been made for additional allocation for these two lakh new students,” he added.

CENTRE’S NO TO CASH

The Centre has refused the state government’s request to allow payment of cooking cost – Rs 4.97 per child per day for primary classes and Rs 7.45 per child per day for upper primary classes – in cash to students who do not have bank accounts.

The money will now be transferred into the accounts of parents of such children instead with their consent.