New Delhi, Nov. 4: The human resource development ministry is likely to challenge a controversial Planning Commission blueprint to start proposed model schools under public-private partnerships as unrealistic and loaded in favour of the private partner.

The HRD ministry plans to question the commission proposal when it is discussed with education minister Kapil Sibal at a meeting of experts on school education on November 6, The Telegraph has learnt.

The differences between the commission and the HRD ministry on the PPP schools follow tensions between the two government arms over an HRD ministry tweak to an agreed plan for PPP colleges — reported by The Telegraph on Tuesday.

The commission has proposed that the government pay fees and additional charges for up to 1,000 students at each of the 2,500 PPP schools that are to be set up, one in a block.

Half of the selected students will be picked from the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, and other backward classes while the remaining will be chosen from families with incomes below taxable limits, under this proposal.

But there is no minimum corresponding number of students that the private partner will need to invest in.

The absence of such a number may allow the private partner to minimise the number of students he needs to admit at higher fees to enable him generate optimal profits — by leaning on government support for poorer students.

For instance, the commission has proposed paying Rs 1,600 a month per child — of the selected lot up to 1,000 students a school — apart from 25 per cent of additional recurring infrastructure costs.

The government, the commission has proposed, will also pay for mid-day meals at these schools.

Calculated for 1,000 students, the government could pay up to Rs 16 lakh a month, or Rs 1.92 crore a year, for every school — just for the tuition fees.

The amount is likely to rise over successive years as the commission has proposed linking the government’s per-student expenditure to the wholesale price index.

But even at current proposed rates, the government will spend close to Rs 20 crore on each school over ten years — the period for which the PPP collaboration is proposed. (The private partner takes over completely after ten years.)

The Planning Commission’s proposal itself estimates that the private partner will need about Rs 4-6 crore to start the school — allowing him to potentially earn significant profits over ten years, critics argue.

The commission has also proposed that a single private trust, society — such as Delhi Public Schools — or non-profit agencies be allowed to partner the government in up to 20 schools, including 10 schools in a single state.

It has proposed that the schools be named after Mahatma Gandhi and that the proposed unique identity card be used to track performance of students and teachers.