Of school fees and Pvt schools Topsy turvy situation
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: February 06, 2012 -

Education, this sets our pulse beat racing.

Parents worry, save, put in that extra work, just so that their children can get the education which will best prepare them to face the world and the future.

This is a global phenomenon and what we are witnessing today in Manipur is not an exception, but the similarity ends here.

This brings us to the question of whether there is a system which supports or encourages the growth of education in its real essence.

A few days back, some reputed private schools in Imphal had to put in a last minute announcement that the admission process has been put on hold for reasons which were not spelt out but which obviously had to do with the issue of fees being charged by private educational institutions.

And so it was that school fees of private institutions have been fixed in consultation between some student organisations and the All Manipur Recognised Private Schools Welfare Association.

The arrangement or agreement inked is fine and reflects a synergy between student organisations and educational institutions, but the fact that such a need arose in the first place raises so many questions worth pondering over.

Ideally private schools should be allowed to work out their fee structure.

Let the parents decide whether the fees being charged are commensurate with the facilities offered there.

Schools not only mean teaching inside the classrooms and hence our understanding of it should extend to the playgrounds (how many grounds do they have ?) to the libraries, to the food offered in the canteen, whether they are hygienic or not, the toilets, the auditorium, the provisions for drinking water, medical help in case of emergencies, the qualifications of the teachers etc.

School fees become irrational when they are not commensurate with the facilities on offer and in such a case, it may be safely concluded that parents will stay away from such schools.

Manipur does not have a Doon, a La Martiniere, a Bishop Cottons, a Mayo, a DPS, a Sherwood or a Lawrence School, but there are some private institutions, especially the ones run by the Missionaries, which have been doing a fantastic job.

And it goes without saying that running a good school needs revenue and hence school fees.

The peculiarity of the situation here lies in the fact that a large number of parents flock to some of the few private institutions, not only out of choice, but for lack of options.

Putting one's child in a private school has become a necessity, whether one is in a position to meet the financial demands or not and herein lies exposed the joke of the schools run by the Government.

If those manning the affairs of Government run institutions are serious about imparting even a teeny-weeny bit of education to the students, then there would definitely have been an option to the parents-A case of send your kids to the expensive private schools if you can afford and if you can't, go in for the Government schools, for ultimately both impart education.

As things stand today, this is something which does not exist even in the realm of fantasy ! With education increasingly and rightfully becoming the benchmark for success in life and with the Government run schools anything but educational institutions, parents are forced to make a beeline for private institutions and this is where the question of formulating a level playing field for all parents arises.

Hence the strictures on the fees that private schools ought to levy on the students.

This is not all.

With education becoming some sort of a monopoly for the private institutions, there have been many cases when parents have had to dig deep into their pockets for no need at all.

This is where the observation of the All Manipur Students' Guardians' Organisation gains credence.

Monopoly is unhealthy when it comes to sectors like education and the manner in which this has been capitalised upon can be seen in conditions such as school uniforms should be bought only from the shop/establishment decided by the school.

The ills of monopoly can also be seen in the ridiculously sounding conditions such as school exercise books should be bought from a particular store.

In as much as private schools should be left to their wisdom to work out their fee structure, it should also not forget that they too have social responsibilities.

The question of van fees too need to be addressed.

Why should parents pay van fees for the vacation period ? Does this make sense ? All in all, this is a situation which has been created by a Government which has allowed education to be monopolised.

There can be no greater tragedy than this but yet at the same time, all need to remember that it is the private institutions which have been harnessing our human resources.