PRIVATE EDU

Govt plans law for self-financed schools in state

Yogita Rao TNN

Mumbai: The government is in the process of formulating a Self-Financed Schools Bill, opening a window for organizations to set up private schools in the state.

The bill aims to give private organizations permission tostartschoolson a self-financed basis. The bill, which may be tabled during the monsoon session, will lay down norms that such schools will have to follow. These institutions will never get any grants from the government.

The need to formulate such an actstemmedfrom the fact that private organizations seek permission from the state to set up new schools. Though they agree on the criteria of not getting grants from the government, they later apply for the same. The state had been, in the past, dragged to court for denying grants to such schools. As a result, the school education department wants an act to be formulated, which will ensure that such cases do not come up every year.

If the private organizations agreetothe norms,then the state will help provide them recognition and affiliation. School education minister Rajendra Darda said, “The government has done a mapping of the state to find out the areas where there are no schools. We will ensure that every area in the state has at least one school. After the condition is fulfilled, if there are any parties interested in setting up schools in addition to the existing ones, they will have complete access. The actwilllaydown the norms to run such schools.”

Darda said: “The private unaided schools at some point or the other come to the state seeking grants. Last year, one of the associations dragged the department to court for using the word ‘permanent’ unaided for them. We are hoping the new bill will ensure that such schoolsdo notseek grants at a later stage.”