Govt mulls 'school adoption' to address issue of disrepair

RUDRAPUR: To address the poor condition of several government schools in Uttarakhand, the state is considering a new policy of school adoption. Under this initiative, the concerned government schools will be adopted by individuals or organisations and provide necessary resources and facilities. Furthermore, adopters may name the schools after their parents or any other family member.

Director general (DG) of education department, Banshidhar Tiwari, is currently developing a proposal for this policy, which will be presented to the Cabinet for approval. In addition, the concerned adopter will be responsible to bear some expenses associated with the school.

Notably, as per the education department data, out of 16,501 government schools in the state, many have fallen into disrepair and lack essential amenities such as electricity, water, and adequate infrastructure. The situation persists despite an annual budget of Rs 10,000 crore for basic, junior and secondary education. The Centre has been contributing Rs 1,100 crore every year through the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan programme. Also, Rs 200 crore is allocated for the mid-day meal scheme.

Despite these investments, as per the data, 96 primary schools are without buildings, 934 lack boys' toilets, 895 girls' toilets and 542 drinking water facilities. Also, 2,864 basic schools lack ramps, 1,609 are without electricity, 3,433 have no libraries and 5,633 are without any playground.

Secondary schools in the state face similar challenges -- 16 schools lack buildings, 286 boys' toilets, 114 girls' toilets, 81 drinking water facilities and 57 without electricity. Moreover, 384 schools lack libraries, 1,072 have no sports grounds, 1,041 no integrated science labs.

DG Tiwari added, "Under the proposal, the adopter will assume responsibility for funding, including infrastructure and furniture. Specific expenses to be borne by the adopter will be determined on predetermined standards. As the department faces a budget crunch for these schools, we hope that the school adoption initiative will provide much-needed support to uplift government schools."



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