Seven Years Later, BMC’s School Privatisation Plot Gets a Fresh Chapter

In a decision likely to rekindle controversy, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is again taking up privatisation of its civic schools after a seven-year hiatus. The new initiative is being taken up in the face of increased financial burdens and an increasing demand for non-traditional sources of revenue, as seen in the BMC's historic ₹74,427 crore budget for 2025-26. Though the civic body has made infrastructure upgradation, including a ₹12 crore outlay on new classroom desks and benches, its focus is also on how to monetise its humongous educational resources.

 

The BMC education department is said to be considering proposals to lease out school buildings, classrooms, and playgrounds to private organisations, NGOs, and institutions for sports, cultural activities, and even advertising. This plan, stopped in 2013 after a court ruling, is designed to raise desperately needed revenue to balance climbing costs with diminishing revenues. The notion has come under fire before, though, based on fears about swelling registrations at civic schools and potentially harming students' access to facilities.

 

The renewed interest in privatisation is likely to provoke public discourse, with stakeholders eagerly awaiting how the BMC resolves educational needs against fiscal sustainability in the months ahead.

 

Source: The Indian Express