Overview
- BMC’s education committee, meeting Friday, ordered a pause on the plan to let private operators run schools on civic land until officials answer members’ questions at the next session.
- The proposal would lease six BMC school plots to private groups for 30 years, and five of those sites have already drawn interest from bidders.
- Corporators cited low returns for the city as a key flaw, pointing to about ₹83,000 a month per school, a 3% share of student fees, and 10% of income from halls and grounds.
- Members from multiple parties warned of weak oversight on admissions and fees, saying private control could price out middle-class families and dilute BMC’s say in school management.
- Officials were told to submit a detailed report, and the panel also pressed for action on 164 informal municipal schools, with 48 cases awaiting decisions at the state level.