TN govt schools to outsource security, sanitation

TO address issues concerning sanitation and security facilities in government schools, the Tamil Nadu school education department has decided to outsource housekeeping, sanitation, open area maintenance and security work in 1,954 government schools across the state at a cost of 130 crore.

-  SUBASHINI VIJAYAKUMAR

About 8,000 workers may be deployed in July to implement this first-ever outsourcing project in Tamil Nadu government schools, sources said.

The school education department has divided the state into four zones for selecting the schools for the project based on their student count. "High schools and higher secondary schools with more than 475 students have been selected for implementing the project. The scheme will be extended to other schools over the next three years," a top official in the school education department said. Although the department tried to issue a tender in 2021 to roll out a similar project, it was halted due to legal challenges from some bidders. The education department, however, has now successfully floated tenders following court directives, sources said.