Shimla — In a significant move, the state government of Himachal Pradesh is considering transferring the management of Atal Adarsh Vidyalya campuses to the private sector. An important meeting to discuss this transition was held at the state secretariat on Wednesday, attended by Education Secretary Rakesh Kanwar and Education Minister Rohit Thakur.
The meeting was convened to establish the conditions for issuing tenders to private sector institutions interested in managing these campuses, which were constructed during the tenure of the former Jairam government. The proposal has garnered substantial interest from several renowned institutions.
Among those showing interest are the Piramal Foundation, Bharti Foundation, Sampark Foundation, Pratham, Avishkar, Vidyapeeth Shimla, DAV Delhi, Him Academy Hamirpur, and Abhilashi Institute Nerchowk. These institutions have expressed their readiness to take over the campuses and have requested the Education Department to specify the operational conditions.
During the discussion, Education Secretary Rakesh Kanwar presented the proposal to offer these school campuses to private entities. The interested institutions, in turn, sought detailed conditions for their potential management roles.
Following these discussions, the Education Department will issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) to formalize the process. The plan includes leasing the government campuses to private sector institutions, with a provision for reserving a quota for students from Himachal Pradesh.
The Atal Adarsh Vidyalaya campus in Madi in Mandi, is already complete, while similar campuses are under construction in Bangana, Una, and Nachan, Mandi. The state’s education department has faced challenges in operating these campuses independently, mainly due to the insufficient number of local students for admission. As a result, the residential schools will need to enroll students from outside the immediate vicinity.
This initiative aims to ensure the optimal utilization of these educational facilities and enhance the quality of education through the expertise of private institutions. As the state prepares to issue the RFP, there is hope that this partnership will bring about significant improvements in the management and performance of the Atal Adarsh Vidyalya campuses.
