Bengaluru: In a major incentivisation project, the department of school education and literacy plans to provide up to Rs 20 lakh in maintenance grants annually for schools with large enrolments.For instance, schools with an average enrolment of 3,000 students registered through its face recognition app could get up to Rs 20 lakh. There are eight schools with a claimed enrollment of above 3,000 students in the state. However, their average attendance is yet to be determined.Similarly, schools with enrolment above 2,000 in the app could earn up to Rs 15-16 lakh. Karnataka has around five schools with an enrolment of more than 2,000 in the Student Achievement Tracking System.Schools in each bracket of student enrolment have an amount attributed to them. Schools with enrolment above 1,000 are likely to get over Rs 10 lakh. Those within 1,000 will be divided into various brackets of Rs 2-10 lakh.The department plans to chart out various activities that schools can use these funds for. Schools may have to use 35% of this fund for transportation facilities. While it is unlikely to permit construction of buildings using the funds, the activities that may be brought under the programme include internet, water filters, maintaining toilets three times a day, keeping school premises clean, maintenance of kitchen equipment, labs, purchase of newspapers, classroom necessities or anything required for upkeep of a good school.The department will make it clear that no student can be used for cleaning toilets or the campus. “With this intervention, we will bring in good governance and adoption of good practices in schools. We are incentivising enrollment, good governance norms and responsive administration from school leadership. We will also bring in training for school development and monitoring committees and school heads for fund management and utilisation. There will be a capacity-building session soon. The funds will be released in two installments,” said Rashmi V Mahesh, additional chief secretary, department of school education and literacy.“During the pre-budget meeting, we raised the request and it was approved. The department is charting out what are the activities that can be provided using these funds,” said Rashmi.The project approval board has also sanctioned funds for transportation for PM Shri schools. This is applicable for students of classes 6 to 10 at the rate of Rs 600 per month per child for 10 months in a year for children from remote areas. “We got Rs 5-7 lakh last year. But most of it was used for salaries for teachers for kindergarten sections,” said the headmaster of a KPS, with an enrollment below 1,000.
