BMC liberates8217; its schools

July 3: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC seems to have overcome its qualms about private participation in primary education. Ar...

July 3: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC seems to have overcome its qualms about private participation in primary education. Around 45 primary schools have been adopted by industrial houses and social organisations under the school adoption programme, initiated in the early nineties during the tenure of municipal commissioner Sharad Kale.

8220;It was not for money alone that the BMC has roped in these agencies. The effort is directed at creating wider social acceptance of municipal schools,8221; said BMC8217;s suspended education officer D U Dandwate.

The BMC leaflet inviting private institutional support says, 8220;Though the BMC spends Rs 168 crore every year on primary education, it cannot fulfill the needs of all schools. It is trying hard to improve the quality of education in the corporation schools. However, because of financial constraints we are unable to do so. If the BMC8217;s financial burden is shared by industrial houses, we should be in a position to improve the quality of education in corporation schools within the shortest possible time.8221;

The areas where private help is being enlisted include equipment, furniture, books, laboratories, maintenance of playgrounds and gardens, maintenance of school buildings and mid-day meals. Industrial houses and social institutions can adopt municipal schools in the area of their choice and provide for the different needs of these schools either in bulk, or according to the amounts they are going to spend for this purpose.

One of the earliest respondents was the Asmita Cultural Foundation. The chairperson of its education committee Anil Joshi revealed, 8220;We were given Rs 3 lakh per year from the corpus fund of the Bombay Community Public Trust, started by ex-chairperson of the Housing Development and Finance Corporation H T Parekh. The first school we adopted was Narielwadi Municipal School at Santacruz, where we spent Rs 6,000 per month paying the contractor for cleaning up the school. Today, our drop-out rate is zero per cent.8221;

The ex-principal of this school, Vaijnath Shukla, who won a national teacher8217;s award after it was adopted by the foundation agreed that the change has been real. 8220;Thanks to the foundation, my students are more disciplined and the school better equipped to look after them. I feel the need for such agencies for other municipal schools as well.8221;

The success of this project prompted Gujrat Ambuja Cement to put their financial inputs into the Posha Nakhawa School at Versova.

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8220;Our student won the gold medal in the Bal Vaigyanik competition held at Nehru Centre,8221; observed a proud Joshi.

Interestingly, the BMC8217;s education budget has also been increasing from Rs 168 crore in 1992-93 to 287 crore in 95-96 to over Rs 300 crore this year. Does it really require private support?

An NGO volunteer explained, 8220;The lack of funds is not the issue, the mismanagement is. Business houses would rather give us the money than giving it to the corporation.8221; 8220;The root problem with municipal schools are two 8211; providing infrastructure and quality education. There is lack of communication between teachers, students and parents, as the parents are mostly illiterate, and the municipal teachers low on motivation. The drop-out rate is high,8221; observed additional municipal commissioner for education, Ratnakar Gaikwad.

8220;So far, about 45 organisations have come ahead to help municipal schools at various levels and I am happy with most of their work. The focus will remain on providing better infrastructure and quality education,8221; he concluded.

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Number of schools handed over to NGOs and private organisations: 45

BMC8217;s expenditure on primary schools: Rs 168 croren

BMC8217;s education budget for: 1995-96: Rs 287 crore

1996-97: Rs 300 crore apx