Privatization of schools in West Bengal | PPP model school in West Bengal

February 16, 2022

PPP Model School is going to be built in West Bengal. That draft has already been prepared by the school education department. That draft will be sent to other concerned departments. It will then be finalized and submitted to the state cabinet.

How will the PPP model work?

The Department of School Education's draft policy on schools in the PPP model mentions several important aspects. For example, the draft mentions allowing private companies to use government land, houses and infrastructure. According to the draft, private companies will invest in the construction of school buildings and infrastructure. In other words, the idea of handing over the infrastructural areas of schools to a private investor is going on.

So is the whole education system of West Bengal being privatized?

No, some educators think that there is no reason to think so. There will be private investment only in certain places. For example, private investment companies can hire teachers and non-teaching staff in schools. Tuition and other expenses will be covered by the school fees. However, the whole matter is still in the draft stage, the final approval has not been done yet. It is learned that in this case, the idea of handing over some part of the education system to the private sector through auction is going on. If this PPP model is introduced in education, the state government thinks that the state of education system can change. However, if the draft is approved by the cabinet, then the auction and other necessary matters will be considered.