Model School Scheme

The Model School scheme was launched in November 2008 in pursuance to the announcement of the Prime Minister in his Independence Day speech of 2007. The scheme aims to provide quality education to talented rural children through setting up of 6,000 model schools as benchmark of excellence at block level at the rate of one school per block. The scheme has the following objectives:

i. To have at least one good quality senior secondary school in every block.
ii. To have a pace setting role
iii. To try out innovative curriculum and pedagogy
iv. To be a model in infrastructure, curriculum, evaluation and school governance

The scheme has two modes of implementation, viz.

(i) 3,500 schools are to be set up in as many educationally backward blocks (EBBs) through State/UT Governments, and

(ii) the remaining 2,500 schools are to be set up under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode in blocks which are not educationally backward. At present, only the component for setting up of model schools in EBBs through State/UT Governments is being implemented. The PPP component of the Model School Scheme is likely to be implemented from 12th Five Year Plan

Model Schools Under State/UT Government

Under this component, model schools are proposed to be set up in educationally backward blocks (EBBs) through State/UT Government. There are 27 State/UT Governments who have some of the blocks identified as EBBs. These State/UTs are Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.

The State/UT which has none of the blocks identified as educationally backward blocks(EBBs) are Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh(UT), Daman & Diu, Delhi, Goa, Lakshadweep, Puducherry and Sikkim

 

Setting up of 3,500 model schools at block level through State/UT Governments in Educationally Backward Blocks under the "Scheme for setting up of 6,000 Model Schools at Block Level as benchmark of excellence"

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has given its approval to continue the sharing pattern of costs between the Central and State/UT Governments in the ratio of 75:25 during the year 2012-13 in respect of State sector component of the Scheme for setting up of 6,000 model schools at block level as benchmark of excellence.

For the year 2012-13, an amount of Rs.1080.00 crore has been allocated for the Scheme. Any financial liability arising due to continuation of sharing pattern of 75:25 would be taken care of within the said allocation. This will ease the extra financial burden of the State/UT Governments "resulting in effective and speedy implementation of the Scheme.

As each school will have 560 students, total number of beneficiaries for 3,500 schools will be 19.60 lakh students.

The programme is to be implemented through State Implementing Societies set up by State/UT Governments for this purpose.

Till March, 2012, a total of 1,954 model schools have been approved in 22 States and financial sanctions amounting to Rs. 1790.76 crore has been issued for setting up of 1,587 model schools in 21 States. Out of these, 428 model schools have become functional till March, 2012 in 27 States and Central share amounting to Rs.29.46 crore towards recurring grants has been released since 2010-11.

During 11th Five Year Plan, the sharing pattern of costs between the Central and State/UT Governments was 75:25, which was to change to 50:50 during 12th Five Year Plan (except for special category States and for upgraded Ashram schools in all States, for which the sharing pattern of 90:10 was approved for both the 11th and the 12th Five Year Plans.

Since implementation of State sector component of the Scheme had started only from 2009-10 (third year of the 11th Plan) and out of 3,500 schools, only 1,954 schools have been approved till March, 2012 (with release of Central share only upto 50 percent in most of the cases), reduction in quantum of Central share at this stage of implementation of the Scheme by changing the sharing pattern of costs from 75:25 to 50:50 would result in unintended premature shifting of burden to the State/UT Governments and significant slowing down of progress under the Scheme.