Public-Private-Partnership model - A solution to transform Govt. Schools in India?

Disclaimer: The article is written in the context of Karnataka State education including CSR data and the Case Studies, which are based on the Authors's personal experience.

Challenges faced by Govt Schools in Karnataka

• Class rooms are sometimes used as cattle shed
• Many Govt Schools are shutting down every year
• Some Govt schools have Teachers but no Students or vice versa
• More parents prefer Private schools to Govt schools - particularly English medium schools
• Close to 300 Govt Lower Primary Schools are closed due to lack of students (incl. Kannada, Urdu, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi medium schools)
• In the current academic year (23-24), more than?3,500 Govt schools have less than 10 students
• Lack of infrastructure in Govt Rural schools - poor state of classrooms, toilets etc.

How much Karnataka spends on Education?

• Karnataka has the 4th highest GSDP at INR 25 lakh crore
• Highest growth rate among Indian States @10.2% compared to National average growth rate of 8.9%

• Yet %age of Net Budget allocation to Education is low @11% compared to National average of 14.7%
• Compare this data with Assam (20%), Chhattisgarh (18.8%), Bihar (18.3%

?How much CSR funds flow to Karnataka?

• Karnataka is the highest recipient of CSR funds among Southern States at ? 9k cr (FY23)
• CSR spend on Education in South Region is next only to West Region (8.9k cr v/s 12.4k cr)
• Karnataka stands 2nd among the recipients of CSR funds for Education after Maharashtra

Source: Data sourced from MCA Portal in August 2023 by Sattva in their 2024 Report on CSR spending

• ?However, bulk of the funds are diverted to developed districts than aspiring districts

Is Private sector involvement the answer?

• Education is?one of the key areas of focus?for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in India
• Corporates allocate a large portion of their CSR funds towards infrastructure development projects in Government schools
• Corporates fund the integration of technology in Government schools like installation of Smart Classrooms, providing computers and educational software
• The projects also include renovating or building classrooms, toilets, libraries, laboratories, playgrounds

Private sector involvement is the answer

• India spends less than 3% of its GDP on Education sector, which is half of the proposed 6%, mandated in a number of policy documents.
• Due to resource constraints, Central and State Governments have begun to recognize the significance of PPPs in the Education sector
• India’s CSR spent for Education alone is ? 43,500 cr in FY 2022-23 while Govt. allocated ? 59,500 cr during the same period

Private intervention augments teaching quality and methodologies:

• Private participation brings fresh perspectives, innovative teaching methodologies, and technology integration to education.
• Schools can benefit from private sector's expertise in curriculum development, teacher training, pedagogy and instructional design.
• This leads to enhanced teaching quality, better learning experiences, and improved academic outcomes.?

Increased access to education:

• PPPs play a vital role in expanding access to education, particularly for marginalized segments and under-served regions by supporting infrastructure in remote places
• Ensures education reaches every child, regardless of their socio-economic background or geographical location.Note: Private means Corporates, NGOs and Individual Donors (HNIs or UHNIs)

Case Study – Rural Govt. School near Bangalore

Kempegowda International Airport?Foundation?(KIAF), the CSR arm of BIAL?adopted this rural Govt. School in 2018 as part of the 10 year MoU with the DoE, Govt of Karnataka?

• Student strength grew nearly 6 times from 90 to 525 (Std 1st to 8th) from 2018 to 2024
• LKG & UKG introduced ; transition from Kannada to English medium underway
• Introduced Science Lab, Computer Lab, Sports centre, Library, Music class, Karate, Financial Literacy program
• 2 new School buses ; 2 sets of Uniform / Shoes / Bags / Books ; Breakfast provided in addition to Lunch

Glimpses into the School & Activities:

Could this Govt school be the next transformation story?

• Government Higher Primary School at Cheeluru village - Kanakapura taluk is located less than 50 kms from Vidhana Soudha
• Cheeluru population is ~ 4,500 (Population of Aradeshanahalli is ~ 2,400)
• The only Govt Primary school in the village, has 67 students from Std. 1st to Std 7th including 3 special kids
• 2 Toilets for Boys and Girls are in bad condition
• Classrooms lack basic facilities
• No playground facility
• Only 3 Teachers + 2 Guest Teachers for 7 grades and for all subjects
• Parents prefer to send their children to Private schools located far away

Questions to ponder …..

1. Despite the Government advocating CSR investment in Aspirational Districts,?only 2.15% (? 3,300 cr)* of the total CSR spend (? 153,800 cr) during 2014-22 has been invested in these districts, which houses more than 15% of India’s population. Shouldn’t the CSR Act be amended to encourage funding to ADs?
2. India budgeted ? 593,500 cr on Defence v/s ? 68,804 cr on Education (11.5% of Defence budget) for the fiscal year 2023–2024. Why is the budgetary allocation for Education a measly 2.9%?of GDP in 2023-24 while National Education Policy (NEP) evokes the idea of increasing it to 6%?

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About the Author:

Arvind Kamath is the Founder & Trustee – Sharada Educational Trust

eMail id: [email protected]

Website: https://sharadatrust.org

Linkedin Profile: https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/arvindakamath/

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