To address the concerns of various school management and teachers’ organisations regarding the four new school schemes announced by the education department on the public private partnership (PPP) mode, the Gujarat government formed a 10-member committee.
The action was taken after a group of about 40 representatives from various state-level associations of teachers, principals, and schools met with Kuber Dindor, Minister of State for Primary and Secondary Education, and Vinod Rao, Education Secretary, to discuss their concerns on Monday evening at the Vidya Samiksha Kendra in Gandhinagar.
Announcing the constitution of the committee, Rao said, “In the next meeting, the committee will submit the report to the state government.” The committee will have two representatives each from five education federations.
“The committee will meet on April 12 and, if necessary, meet again on April 15 and submit the report on Gyan Setu Day Schools, Gyan Setu Residential School, Gyan Shakti Residential Schools and Raksha Shakti Residential Schools within a week by next Monday (April 17). The report will have recommendations on these schools on PPP mode,” said Bhaskar Patel, president of Gujarat Rajya Shala Sanchalak Mahamandal, an association of school managements.
The education department has proposed four different types of schools—Gyan Setu Day Schools, Gyan Setu Residential School, Gyan Shakti Residential Schools and Raksha Shakti Residential Schools—from Class 6 onwards in the upcoming academic session of 2023-24.
The associations asserted that the decision would have an impact on 1.68 lakh government school students each year and put the state’s district panchayat government schools in risk. Additionally, they claimed that the government wanted to support private schools instead of district panchayat- and corporation-run schools.