Regulation of fees in private schools in Jammu and Kashmir will be bad for quality education itself writes Adil Shah
It is a known fact that the education scenario in the state of Jammu and Kashmir has improved by leaps and bounds. As per figures from the latest census, literacy rate has increased by 13 % in the past decade.
The government would be fishing for a pat on the back with these figures, but a deeper look tells a different story.
The performance of government schools in the various board examinations continues to be dismal. There have been instances where government schools, in hundreds, have not been able to get into double figures in terms of pass percentages and the same results have shown private schools achieving respectable pass percentages.
Hence it would not be wrong to say that private schools have excelled academically whereas the government-run schools have failed miserably.
Privately run educational institutions provide quality education to students. They are better equipped, have an efficient system of operation and are overall managed well.
One of the main reasons for quality education in private schools is that these schools are centres for entrepreneurship where individuals have invested very large sums of resources and want optimum performance to see their enterprise grow. This, in turn, benefits the students of these schools the most.
Private schools have immensely contributed to the rise of literacy in Jammu and Kashmir. However, instead of recognising the role of these institutions in uplifting the educational scenario qualitatively and quantitatively, the government is time and again bringing hurdles in their smooth functioning.
The latest comes in the form of fixing the fee structure of private schools. By doing so, the state is “commodifying education”. Instead of providing benefits to people who have taken the initiative of starting private schools, the government always seems to discourage people from investing in the education sector.
There are examples of other states like Uttar Pradesh and Haryana where special perks are given to individuals setting up educational institutes. This state needs to follow suit.
Moreover private schools have become a source of employment to thousands of people, primarily belonging to the age group of 27-35, grappling with high unemployment rates in the state. Fee regulation will hamper revenue of private schools which in turn will affect thousands of people who derive their livelihood through this association.
In one way or the other, regulation of fees would also lead to the diluting of the quality of education in these schools.
The government is acting upon parents’ complaints of overcharging by the schools. One must understand that a school in itself is a means of livelihood to the owners. One cannot expect it to function like a charitable institution, or even a government funded organisation. There is a constant host of expenses to keep up a school active.
Moreover, there is also a constant deal of re-investment without which a school cannot survive. We must look at education as a service. The more personalised care and attention the parents demand would mean better quality education. It would also mean the service would be more expensive.
However, if the Government is keen on making the Services of the private schools more affordable to the masses it needs to take care of the losses of the private schools due to its fee fixing diktats. Simply issuing orders without thinking about the consequences would create a lot of confusion.
The ultimate sufferers would be everyone associated with the schools – owners, teachers and the students also.
(The author is owner of a private school in Srinagar. Views are his own. Feedback or response at: [email protected])
