Less interference, more schools

SS Sodhi
Former Chief Justice of  Allahabad High Court

THE ever-increasing number of disappointed parents at not being able to secure admission for their children in schools of their choice denotes that all is not well with our education system.

In a welfare state, education is primarily the responsibility of the state. Private institutions can only supplement what the government is required to provide. The requirement is for many more schools, but one rarely sees the government setting up new ‘quality’ schools. Those that do exist are lacking in infrastructure and do not provide education that can put them in the competent category of ‘good’ schools. 

The common perception is that the quality of education imparted by private schools is of a higher standard. No wonder the preference is for private schools, even though they are more expensive. But the truth is, there is a dearth of ‘good’ private schools, and there is every ‘discouragement’ for more ‘quality’ schools to come up.

Consider what it takes to set up a good private school: land bought at commercial rates; a building in consonance with what a modern school ought to be; furniture; and most importantly, a faculty with requisite experience and qualification. Besides, there are sundry expenses: ever-growing maintenance costs and salaries of staff. There is also the added cost if a new course or facility is to be introduced. 

One can well imagine the heavy expenditure involved to establish a school. Yet, what the schools are permitted is an annual 8 per cent hike in fee. Incidentally, they often draw flak for the fee they charge. Any increase in fee is criticised, but there is hardly any mention of the quality of education they impart. Not infrequently, knowing the fee structure and other expenses that the school charges, parents seek admission for their child, and once it comes through, they start protesting against the fee. 

Each private school has its own standard of fee. What the annual 8 per cent increase in fee means to a school charging Rs 8,000 a month as fee cannot be compared with one that only charges Rs 500 a month. There is, indeed, a school being run with an annual grant of over Rs 1.5 crore!

Another aspect is the Right to Education Act, requiring schools to undertake 25 per cent admission of EWS children. Moreover, such students have to be promoted to the next class every year, regardless of whether they are fit, or even ready, for it. The school has to keep promoting them till class VIII, when they leave school. One fails to understand how it would help students. Such students also deprive other students of the general category who were denied admission on account of this reservation. 

Further, the Act requires the government to pay schools for admitting EWS students, but has the government been doing so? The Supreme Court has ruled that no child should have to pay for the education of another child, but this is what in effect happens when the government does not pay for EWS students, and in time.

No nation can progress and prosper unless there are good schools for all children. It is imperative to have more schools. There is little hope of many new government schools coming up, as our powers that be are more enamoured of doling out populist ‘lollipops’ in the hope of getting votes rather than spending on schools and other such necessities that society requires. 

Hope clearly lies in the private sector coming forth to build more schools, but to get it to do so, the government will have to do away with the cap on annual increase in fee and also let them come up, even with a commercial motive.

The more schools there are the greater will be the competition among them, which will, inevitably, in due course, improve the quality of education and also make them affordable. Schools will have to step up their game to attract students. What is more, the greater the number of students going to expensive schools, the lesser will be the pressure for admission to affordable schools. What the government needs to do is to pay greater attention to the quality of education being imparted by schools.

What a contrast there is in the attitude of the government towards private hospitals as against private schools. There is no check on what such hospitals charge. With so many private hospitals coming up, it is left to patients to choose the hospital where they feel the treatment will be affordable. These private hospitals have reduced the pressure on government hospitals, while with private schools, however, the government seems to be concerned only about the fee. 

Our country cannot attain the stature it aspires for in the comity of nations unless it can ensure good educational facilities for all our children.