The Problem with the Private/Business-owned Schools in India
Who am I to comment on this topic?
I am father to a school going boy, a husband to a teacher and I was the second-in-command of a privately owned school for over 6 years and contributed immensely to convert that school from being an unknown entity to a famous institution in that short span.
Now that my credentials have been firmly established, let me tell you about the time when I used to study at school……
That was a time when you had a single school in a single PIN (ZIP) code in India. The no. of reputed schools could be counted on your fingertips. That was a time when parents respected the teachers and believed that the teachers were the specialists when it came to the education of their ward, when a child was scared to tell his parents that he/she was whacked by the teacher (because in all probability, the parent would blame the kids for their misdemeanor and whack them again!)
The concept of ‘Guru’ was understood and respected and last, but not the least — “Education used to influence society rather than society influencing education!” as is the case today.
That was a time when academicians used to run the schools and teachers taught and chose their professions purely due to their passion for teaching and creating better citizens of tomorrow.
Today, due to the advent of Distance Education and contact centres of relevant universities popping up in every major city, a majority of women who get pregnant choose to opt for a Bachelor of Education degree since they know that as it is they would be on a break for at least a year (due to the pregnancy), so they might as well do the course so that once their child is weaned they could work for half a day, enjoy the numerous holidays and vacations that their new profession provides, get their child admitted in the school where they teach (so that they save on the cost of a babysitter during school hours) and get discounts and waivers on their child’s fee once he/she is old enough to join school!
Today, business houses and real estate developers have ventured into the business of education since they see a golden opportunity where they and their future generations can earn a lot of money (both legal and illegal) since they are able to get land in the crème de la crème locations (due to their contacts).
They are able to manipulate finances with the assistance of their known out-sourced contacts through contracts such as catering, security, sports academies, horticulture, transport vendors, civil contactors, uniform vendors, book vendors, Annual celebrations like Sports Days, Science Fairs etc. and the list goes on and on…..
I am sure that the amount that they earn from these quarters is substantial; however, ask any of the teachers whether they are paid wages as per government norms?!!!
If you pay peanuts, you will get monkeys and this holds true for 90% of the private schools!
Added to that the parents!
The parents today feel that they know everything and they aggressively demand that their feedback be incorporated irrespective of whether it adds value or not and because the schools are in the money minting mode — the parents normally have their way!
This is similar to a scenario where you visit a doctor and ask him to prescribe medicines of your choice for an ailment that he specialises in curing!
Today the parents determine the tenure of a teacher at a school and hence, the teacher has to brown nose the parents no matter what!
Now let’s speak about the students. The children today know that the ‘Sword of Damocles’ hangs over each of their teachers and they are constantly at their worst behaviour when it comes to the teachers because they know that their parents will support them come what may and the teacher will be reprimanded. The teachers survive at the mercy of their so called customers (as if schools were hotels, airlines or fast food outlets) since their school management always supports the parents/student even if the teacher is in the right. I have heard of instances when a group of teachers had an identification parade in the coordinators office so that the child could recognise the one who had spoken to him sternly!
The school management lives at the mercy of the parents as everyone who has a little clout in the government is able to get his/her child promoted even though he/she is unworthy. Added to that, our government officials can easily be bribed with gifts and presents! Why else can rules be flouted at every nook and corner in India!
I had a personal joke where I said that every traffic stop in the state (where I worked) has a school and a ‘Wine Shop’! (The rule states that there shouldn’t be a cigarette or liquor shop within a 100 metre radius of a religious place or an educational institution)
This vicious circle has led to the gradual decline of the education system in India and it is only getting worse by the day.
How will it change?
All the developed countries have worked on their education system and that is one of the main reasons they are considered developed. In India — money and power is always used for the selfish agendas of the powers that be.
What we need is a government, bureaucrats, lawmakers and officials who are high on integrity and who are proactive when it comes to audits concerning finances, processes, documentation, safety measures, qualifications etc.
Added to this, if there are strict measures of checking and painful repercussions of breaking or tweaking the law, the path to improvement would be a whole lot easier.
After all, we aren’t just speaking for the present generation but also for the generations to come…
I am sure that all the people who read this would have an opinion about the same; however, I, based on the current scenario, am not optimistic about the future!
I, for one, do not write for the people I would offend, but for the people I could inspire……
