Punjab govt to set up 108 model schools in PPP mode

The Punjab government would set up 108 Adarsh Schools under public private partnership (PPP) mode to impart free and quality education to the brilliant and economically poor rural students in all the districts. It has already received two dozen proposals from different 11 private partners for the allotment of Adarsh School sites.

Disclosing this here today, Education Minister Upinderjit Kaur said that Punjab Education Development Board (PEDB) had invited applications from interested private partners to set up Adarsh Schools.

In the response, 11 private partners has applied for allotment of Adarsh School sites and PEDB has finalised and approved 15 sites to five private partners to set up modern and fully equipped educational institutions, she said.

The minister said these Adarsh schools would impart study from pre-nursery to 10+2 classes without charging any fee.

Giving details she added that Bharti Enterprises Ltd has been allotted six sites, Ranbaxy Laboratories four, whereas Chief Khalsa Diwan Amritsar would open three schools. Besides this, Career Launcher India Ltd would open a school at Agampur and Educomp New Delhi at Kalewal in Rupnagar dist.

“In addition the Punjab School Education Board, SAS Nagar was allotted a site at village Raniwala in District Muktsar according to the terms and conditions of the PEDB. Other applications under PPP mode were being processed for further necessary action”, said the minister.

She said that the PEDB would provide 10-15 acre on 99 years lease basis which would be renewable thereafter with mutual consent of both the parties.

She further said the operational cost of an Adarsh School up to about 1,000 students would be shared on 70:30 basis normative between the Board and private partner.