The Indian Express   22.08.2012

Panel nod for plan to let corporates, NGOs adopt municipal schools

The standing committee of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation
(BMC) has approved the proposal to allow corporates, educational trusts
and NGOs to adopt civic schools. The proposal is aimed at ensuring
effective implementation of Right to Education (RTE) Act in public
schools.

Under the recently proposed public-private partnership (PPP)
model, BMC hopes to improve the quality of education at civic schools
and bring it on a par with private school standards. The proposal will
now discussed in the general body meeting for final approval, said BMC
officials.

Three of the four types of PPP models are long term in nature.
The ‘full school management with private partner teachers’ model allows a
private partner to manage an existing or new BMC school and provide
free and high quality education with its own teachers and prinicipal.
Under this, the staff will be employed by the private operator.

The ‘full school support’ or FSS model is similar, but will use
BMC school teachers. The officials expect the private sector partner to
ensure better teaching methods and coaching support by imparting
managerial inputs for improving the quality of education.

While the BMC will be the final authority for identifying and
appointing private operators for schools, they can apply for adopting
schools online. In case corporate houses are interested in running BMC
schools in a joint venture with other private operators, both the
partners have to furnish evidence of the agreement and details about the
strengths and experience which both will bring in the partnership, an
official said.

“With more students leaving civic schools for want of quality
education, better standard of teaching, co-curricular activities and
joining private schools, there is a dire need for a more refined
approach to teaching in BMC schools. The private entities are expected
to bring a sense of dynamism, competitiveness and enhanced managerial
skills in civic schools,” said Rahul Shewale, Standing Committee
chairman and Shiv Sena corporator.

The third form of partnership — specific services partnership
(SSP) — entails specific services or inputs for improving the quality
of curricular and co-curricular education in BMC schools. For example,
support can be in form of running computer classes, language
laboratories, special needs education, vocational programme among other
things.

The BMC is also looking at short-term support from private
organisations for teacher training, coaching support, vocational
programmes, special needs education or one-time donation of computers,
books, furniture and uniforms. While the long-term forms of partnership
will be for a period of 10 years, the specific partnerships will be
renewed after every three years, said officials.

Mohan Adtani, additional municipal commissioner, said, “We have ensured a strict selection criteria for these private partners.”

According to an internal report of the education department,
applicants seeking to run a school or provide specific support will be
marked out of a score of 100 based on their track record of running
schools, focus on learning outcomes and concrete examples of impact on
learning outcomes, proposed approach and detailed plan for school,
strength of leadership and managerial team and ability to garner outside
funds and sustain grants for any additional expenses,

To ensure that the programme is successful, the civic body will
undertake third party assessment including student learning in subjects
such as Mathematics and a second language and a school’s competence and
overall performance. The funding — part of which will be borne by the
BMC and the rest collected through philanthrophic sources — will be
decided on the basis of the ratings a school gets through third party
auditors and other factors.

“In case of poor performance of students, lack of improvement in
other co-curricular activities, etc, the BMC can stop payment to those
schools,” said a senior civic official.