Uttarakhand to hand over 550 schools to corporates for Infrastructural revival

The Uttarakhand government will hand over its 550 hillside schools to the industries for revival of their infrastructures and other learning facilities for children in remote areas.

According to Education Minister Dhan Singh Rawat, the government will ink MoUs for adoption of these schools with corporate houses by month-end in the presence of the Uttarakhand governor and the chief minister.

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According to the officials of the state Education Department, the schools being identified for privatisation include both primary and secondary schools. The new and unprecedented decision of the Pushkar Singh Dhami government also allows non-resident Uttarakhand natives to adopt the schools.

As per the department’s decision, firms taking over the schools will provide modern facilities like computer labs, libraries, and playgrounds in these institutions.

Dhan Singh Rawat said the decision is aimed at rejuvenation of remote and under-resourced government schools in the state.

“State government has resorted to a new initiative to provide a better and modern education environment in association with industrial houses. Nearly 550 government schools, mainly from hill areas, will be directly linked with industrial houses through their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds. These schools will be formally adopted by industrialists to provide them with modern study resources for the children in the hill areas” said the state education minister.

The minister further said, “Besides facilitating study materials, adopting industrial houses will look after the renovation of the building infrastructure of the schools. The facilities will include renovation of the school buildings, playgrounds, clean toilets, sports materials and host of other needed services to the students. Industrial houses to be roped for adoption of the schools have already given their in-principle agreement to the government.”

He informed the school adoption MoUs under CSR initiative will be signed with industrial houses at a special event to be held at Raj Bhavan on July 30 in the leadership of Governor Lieutenant General Gurmit Singh and Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.