UP: Move to Privatise Thermal Power Schools Triggers Protests

Lucknow: Resentment is building up in Uttar Pradesh against the UP Power Transmission Corporation Limited’s decision to lease out its schools running in several thermal power plant premises to a Delhi-based institute for 10 years. Villagers in Sonbhadra, where tribal students are enrolled in a large number, are staging sit-ins outside schools.

Students under the banner of Obra Inter College Bachao Sangharsh Samiti carried out a procession in the city, demanding to roll back the decision. They also submitted a memorandum to the SGM Sonbhadra, threatening to go on a mass hunger strike if their demands were not fulfilled.  

Per the office memorandum on March 31, the schools (meant for children of thermal plant employees) will be leased out to the DAV College, New Delhi.

The UP Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd (UPRVUNL) Board of Directors, in its meeting on March 26, approved the proposal for handing over at least half-a-dozen schools situated within the premises of Obra, Anpara, Parichha, Panki and Harduaganj thermal plants on an annual lease of Rs 36,000 for 10-years.

Private parties will be free to appoint teaching and non-teaching staff. 

The students studying in Anpara and Obra power units, Sonbhadra, said they have been paying Rs 25 tuition fees till now, but after the privatisation of their schools, It has been increased to Rs 2,000 per month. 

Students, villagers, staff and teachers’ associations are criticising the government for abandoning its responsibility to provide education and for handing over its land and resources to private parties.

"About eight schools of all five power units have been privatised. The private parties will increase fees which students would not afford as the majority of students in these two thermal power units are tribals, SC (Scheduled Castes), ST (Scheduled Tribes) and children of contractual labourers working in Anpara and Obra Thermal Power Stations," a teacher posted at a school under Anpara Thermal Power Station told NewsClick on the condition of anonymity. 

When asked the probable reason behind the privatisation, he said, "The UPRVUNL officials had approached the State government to hand over these schools run by corporations, but after the government showed no interest, they opted for a bidding process and handed it over to Delhi based institute. An acute shortage of teachers and poor infrastructure was the reason for giving it to the private player."

He further said, "Just like NTPC (National Thermal Power Corporation), NCL and Coal Mine make buildings in its premises and give open invitations to run school whoever wants, it could have happened here too, but the government did not help UPRVUNL."

Akash Yadav, a student of Obra Inter College, told NewsClick, "It is not only about privatisation but the future of more than 1,700 students who mostly come from unprivileged backgrounds (SC/ST and tribals). We will go on hunger strike if the authority does not roll back its decision to give schools to private firms. There is no government inter-college within the radius of 40 km, and to privatise what is there is to play with the student's future.”

Tejdhari Gupta, secretary of Theka Mazdoor Union, whose son is enrolled in a school run by Anpara Thermal Plant, told NewsClick, "UP Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam is 'selling' its schools to private centres on lease. The situation of schools in thermal power plants is deteriorating regarding education. You can see the condition of buildings, toilets etc. How will the poor students afford school if the private party charges a high fee?”

Dinkar Kapoor, state general secretary of All India Peoples' Front, based in Sonbhadra, told NewsClick, "The decision to privatise schools will deprive the children of tribal and contract labourers from education. We will not let it happen and will soon organise a protest against the move. We learned that up to 25% fee exemption will be given to the children of engineers or corporation employees, but children of labourers will not get any benefit."

Acharya Pramod Chaubey, a local journalist based in Obara, told NewsClick, "The most surprising fact behind the privatisation is that the property worth more than trillions was given in just Rs 35,000 on lease. The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds are used to develop local areas as part of social responsibility for which there is a company's board-driven policy. Still, no one knows where the funds are going. The irony is that the government and concerned ministry didn't do anything regarding education and medical facilities when the thermal power stations were set up; the schools that were already in function were handed over to the private firm instead of utilising CSR funds.” He added that it's ironic that the quality of education is expected to improve by going into private hands.

Chaubey further said that the state, as well as the Central government, pumped vast amounts of money into districts under the Special Infrastructure Scheme (SIS), Security Related Expenditure (SRE) and other schemes. But, the utilisation of funds has raised many eyebrows. The development has been unbalanced. The Central government has also declared Sonbhadra a backward district worth crores of Central grants. Still, instead of taking steps to ensure tribals' right to education, schools are being handed over to private firms.

The journalist said the backwardness and poverty of these districts helped Naxalism to take root in the region. "If they are deprived of education, they will be forced to take up arms," he said.

Meanwhile, Vidyut Karmchari Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti (union), which had called for a strike last month, also opposed the move to privatise the corporation's school. The union wrote to UPRVUNL to cancel the lease given to DAV Delhi as it is not in favour of children. 

"Sonbhadra, one of the most Naxal districts, has not been able to execute any major destructive plan in the region, mainly due to a two-pronged strategy of the government -- the development of basic infrastructure and aggressive policing. Privatising the school in such a situation is like snatching the dream from the poor children," a union leader told NewsClick.