Sanskrit schools fail to reap benefit of Project Alankar

Prayagraj: In the backdrop of the fact that the state government would provide 50% of the financial aid needed to repair and renovate the building of the government aided schools under Project Alankar, officials are struggling to find enough government-aided Sanskrit secondary schools in the state to extend the help.
This is because of the fact that to be eligible to receive funds from the state government under the initiative, the school managements too need to bear 50% of the renovation cost.

But in case of Sanskrit secondary schools, the financial condition of these schools is such that they are unable to bear the rest of the 50% levied on them. This has resulted in most school managements dragging their feet on embracing the opportunity.
Due to this, the budget of Rs 28 crore released in 2021 for the renovation of government-aided Sanskrit secondary schools that are more than 50 years old under the scheme got lapsed.
Now this year again, the state government on August 26, ear-marked a budget of Rs 28 crore for this mission and sought a proposal from the district magistrates to renovate the dilapidated buildings of aided Sanskrit secondary schools in their respective districts.
The state presently has 958 Sanskrit schools offering education to students from class 6 to 12 and as per the norms of the scheme, priority is to be given to those schools where more than 100 students are studying.
“An affidavit will have to be given by the school management to give 50 percent amount for the renovation. For example, if there are 100 to 250 students in a school and if the state government allows a maximum amount of Rs 50 lakh for renovation of its building, then the school management will also have to pay an equal share of 50 lakh,” explained the officials.
District level committees have been constituted under the chairmanship of the District Magistrates to identify the schools, they added.
The Executive Engineer of PWD and the Finance and Accounts Officer of Secondary Education department have been designated as members of the committee while the District Inspector of Schools (DIOS) of the district concerned has been made its Member Secretary, the officials said.
Explaining the dilemma of government-aided Sanskrit secondary schools, Manager of Saudamini Sanskrit College, Prayagraj Prof MC Chattopadhyay said that if Sanskrit schools had money, they would have got the buildings repaired or renovated themselves.
“What is the need to look at the government for this. We are extending free education to the children and managing through donations. We don’t have lakhs for renovation,” he claimed.Officials shared that so far management of only five government-aided Sanskrit schools from across the Prayagraj division have given written consent to give 50% matching amount for the renovation of their buildings. Of these, only two schools from Prayagraj district including Kulbhaskar Ashram Krishi Inter College and Vikramaditya Singh Inter College, Bahariya, they added.