| Uttar Pradesh mulls PPP in technical education | |
| Virendra Singh Rawat / New Delhi/ Lucknow December 03, 2008, 0:30 IST | |
The Uttar Pradesh government is studying the public-private partnership (PPP) model being followed in the field of technical education in five other states, before the same is implemented in the state.
The move comes in the aftermath of vociferous protests from teachers and employees against a move to implement PPP in technical education.
A six-member committee, led by Special Secretary (technical education) Ram Ganesh, is visiting Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand and Haryana to study the PPP model in the field, official sources told Business Standard.
It also includes three members of the agitating UP State ITI & Polytechnic Joint Action Committee (JAC), which maintains that the state government wants to privatise these institutions.
The committee has already visited Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra and soon it will visit the other two states after which it will submit a report to the state government by the month-end, said officials.
Taking the PPP agenda forward, the state government is considering handing over 25 polytechnics and 125 ITIs to a private partner following a bidding process.
There are about 106 polytechnics and 156 ITIs located in prime locations all over UP. They have a total staff strength of around 20,000, including teachers and employees.
The government had even short-listed five companies for filing the Request for Proposal (RFP). However, the process was put on hold following the protests, and is likely to be resumed after the committee submits the report.
JAC convener Ashok Kushwaha maintains that the state government wanted to sell the valuable properties worth several hundred crores of rupees owned by UP polytechnics and ITIs under the garb of PPP, besides transferring the government teachers and employees to the private partner.
He suggested that the government should establish new institutes using the PPP route rather than focusing on the existing units, which were imparting training to poor students for low fees.
On October 7, the teachers and employees had staged a demonstration in front of the state Assembly and submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Mayawati. They even set the efficgy of PPP on fire at all the district headquarters on October 10 to protest the private partnership.
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