Academicians, educationists and stakeholders have scoffed at the presumptions in the economic survey regarding parents preferring to send their children to private schools rather than government-run schools. The critics have said that the absence of sufficient schools, lack of proper infrastructure and poor quality of teachers in government schools has compelled parents to send their children to private schools and hence they assumption of parents’ preference by the economic survey is misleading and not true.
According to the economic survey report ‘...Decline in enrolment in government schools and some shift to private schools might be largely related to the poor quality of education offered in government schools, since it is free or offered for a nominal fee.’
Elaborating on the issue, J.M. Abhyankar, former chairman of the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) and currently the president of the Shiv Sena Shikshak Sena, said that parents are in a dilemma when it comes to choosing a school for their children. “The Right to Education (RTE) Act has stipulated that there should be a school close to the residence of the student. However, in the absence of sufficient schools parents are forced to admit their child in the closest private school even though it means paying a higher amount,” said Mr Abhyankar, reiterating that the decision of parents is not out of choice but compulsion hence the assumption of the economic survey is unfounded.
Jayant Jain, president of Forum for Fairness in Education, an NGO working in the field of school and college education said that while the economic survey report hit the nail on the head by attributing the decline in enrolment in government schools to poor quality of education the reasons needed to be elaborated. “The survey does not elaborate the actual reasons for the poor quality of education in government-run schools. The assumption is weak largely because government run higher education institutions have a high enrolment ratio so the question is why is the enrolment suffering in government schools. While in higher education the government has adhered strictly to the norms, when it comes to school education it is callous and has no interest in furthering its role in it. Parents are left with no option but to opt for private schools as a result of this,” said Mr Jain.
Suresh Lad of Jagrut Palak Sangh, a parent teachers’ organisation said, “Classroom teaching cannot be considered in an isolated manner. Infrastructure, facilities, amenities and extra curricular activities also contribute towards the choice of the parents. In the absence of such facilities in government-run schools, parents are forced to opt for private schools.”
