EDMC to lease out schools to private institutes to boost education, revenue

Cash-strapped East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) is planning to lease out its schools to a few private coaching institutes to boost access to education for poor children and augment its revenues. 

“This project would be based on a public-private- partnership model, where we have earmarked 200 schools spread over 10 Assembly constituencies in the area. Ten centres, one from each constituency, would be tried on a pilot basis and then we will expand it,” said East Delhi Mayor Satya Sharma.

About 2.5 lakh students go to 398 school under the EDMC, she said. Under this project “morning (regular) schools would be covered”.

“The idea is to utilise the classroom, which are  closed after morning timings. We aim to use these classrooms in the evening to impart education to other children. About 51 per cent of the students admitted would be from below poverty line (BPL) section of the society who would get free education,” she said.

“Our policy aims to use the PPP model to provide education to these underprivileged children and at the same time boost our revenue as we are reeling under a financial loss,” chairman of EDMC’s Standing Committee Jitender Chaudhary said. 

Sharma said the proposal was already approved by the standing committee and was slated to be tabled before the EDMC House on Monday. “After the House okays it, we will begin work on it and it would take at least one month before we marshall all our resources together and get staff and teachers on board,” she said.

Chaudhary said the civic body is also seeking to “hire retired teachers to serve in such schools. The space would be used by private coaching institutes but we would carry the ultimate authority. They would be run as schools and not typical coaching centres.”  We are promoting education and so poor children would not be charged any fee, but bags and uniform they would not be free,” Sharma said.