Private schools should assist in the development of govt schools: CM D.K. Shivakumar

Bengaluru: "Our government has introduced a new CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) policy. I urge the managements of all private schools in the state to adopt government schools in rural areas or join hands with the government to support their development," said Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.

He was speaking after inaugurating the 'Namma Shale, Namma Javabdari' (Our School, Our Responsibility) programme at a meeting of CSR representatives held at the Vidhana Soudha Banquet Hall on Wednesday.

"You should bring children from rural government schools together with students from your own institutions, provide them with quality education and help them succeed in life. We have set a target of linking 2,000 government schools with private schools in this manner. We have divided the 6,000 Gram Panchayats into three categories. As a first step, our target is to link 1,000 government schools with private schools for their development. This is only the beginning. We are confident that our efforts will yield positive results over the next four to five years," he said. "The government will not dictate which schools should private school managements choose to support. You may select schools based on your convenience and financial capacity. If you are unable to construct buildings, which may cost between ₹5 crore and ₹10 crore, that is perfectly fine. Instead, you can depute some of your experienced teachers to government schools. You could provide 10 teachers from your institution and continue to pay their salaries. Rather than selling your school buses, you could donate them to government schools. Providing laboratory equipment and computers would also be of great help. Think of this as an exchange of knowledge and resources," he said. "The state has an annual CSR fund of ₹8,800 crore. I have held discussions with the managements of companies across the state and urged them to prioritize the development of primary schools in rural areas through these CSR funds. They have already begun this work. Now, it is your turn to contribute," he told the representatives of private school managements. "On this CSR issue, the Chief Secretary and I met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and held discussions. Some companies have their offices in Mumbai but are registered in Karnataka. As a result, the CSR funds generated here are sometimes utilized elsewhere. These companies release the funds but subsequently take back 50 per cent of the amount. I have requested that such practices be curbed," he said. "In Bengaluru South district, development works have commenced in 30 schools with CSR support from various companies. Work has been completed in 10 schools, while it is currently under way in eight others. Agreements have been finalized for the remaining 12 schools. Toyota has supported the development of 23 schools in Ramanagara district, with an investment ranging from ₹10 crore to ₹15 crore per school. The government has also provided the building plans. However, it must be clarified that the government does not directly accept CSR funds," he stated.

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