Roadblocks in smooth functioning of private schools can prove counterproductive

Dismal performance of government schools, radicalization in Madrasas

JAMMU: Just a few years back, hugely enraged parents in Ganderbal area of Central Kashmir locked a government school to register their protest against dismal results in the government-run educational institutions across Jammu and Kashmir in general and the failure of all the students of Shallabugh school in class 8 and 9 results.
Madrasas are yet another set of institutions getting government grants for imparting education but it is no more a secret that children learn the concept of believers and non-believers (Kaafirs) first rather than the scientific knowledge and technology.
And finally, there are private educational institutions, which take nothing from the government but give the best-ever results, with students feeling a sense of loss and frustration for securing first class and not the distinction.
Difference lies here-the irony being that the government schools and Madrasas get all the assistance and facilities from the government while the private institutions face one after another harsh measures that impact their smooth functioning and survival even in many cases.
The government schools have become a source of pension for many teachers, who concentrate less on teaching and more in public relation pursuits to be in the good books of superiors so as to enjoy the loaves without working. It may sound strange but the fact is that some teachers had been found engaging substitutes in their places some years back on daily-wage basis to continue their avocation as contractors in Poonch-Rajouri area. There are numerous instances of influential teachers remaining attached in the city schools and places of their choice by abandoning their original places of postings at the cost of poor students.
Notwithstanding the fact that poor tax-man’s hard-earned money goes hugely to the education sector, the output has been generally dismal. On an average, Rs 8,700 are spent per student per month in government schools but still the results are poorer compared to private schools.
When in power, the politicians and their bureaucrats keep giving lofty sermons and flaunting that government schools would be made models with teachers becoming stakeholders in the performance of educational institutions. Their career advancement will be directly linked to the performance of students, so on and so forth. But the tragedy is that over the years, the void in standards and achievements in the government schools has widened. Who is to be blamed for the ‘gross injustice’ that is not an exception but almost a rule in the government-run schools? Why shouldn’t a mechanism be adopted to make salaries performance-oriented to achieve optimum results? It is an admitted fact that the government teachers are far better placed remuneration-wise than those in the private schools. However, the accountability before the management in the private sector makes all the difference, which is why the drop-out in the government schools is increasing with admissions in the private schools of repute becoming almost difficult. In Jammu, recommendations of the politicians, bureaucrats and top functionaries of the government are sought to have children admitted in private schools. This is a sad story of the government sector.
Successive governments in Jammu and Kashmir have been harping over academic auditing of the government schools but has it ever happened? The answer will be negative because of the vicious circle prevailing in the system. The governments have been non-serious because the wards of politicians, bureaucrats, so-called activists and even the government teachers study in private schools, which is why the private sector is flourishing notwithstanding obstacles being created by the line departments.
The question arises why the government schools never inspire confidence of parents despite whopping funds being earmarked in successive budgets? Why do private schools remain major stakeholders in the educational sector?
The parents and the administration recognize that private schools are often better than government schools. Parents prefer these schools and spend quite hefty amounts on sending their wards there because they know that their children will get the best education in contrast to government schools, even though the latter provide free books, uniforms, stationery and mid-day meals and charge no tuition fee.
With this glaring difference in the primary objective of providing quality education to children, it is high time for the government to incentivize the private schools rather than creating roadblocks on one and all the issues. These measures could boomerang and become counterproductive.