How is the present situation of the sector?

There is a lot of confusion. Already the private schools were coming up as centers of excellence. The trend of sending children abroad for quality education was reversing gradually. But the activities of last couple of years that are targeted at disrupting the academic environment have hurt the sector. Parents are once again beginning to send their children overseas. We are proud to say that presently we have enough academic facilities and qualified faculty and we can produce internationally competitive students.

What are the contributions of private schools?

There is a tendency among parents to admit their children in private schools by any means. They do not hesitate to spend their earnings for the sake of quality education. This has not been true in the case of public schools. As a result the number of private schools are growing. Currently there are 10,000 private schools in the country - 8,500 among them are already registered. Likewise, 1.5 million students study in private schools. This consists of 20-25 percent of total school-going kids in the country. We have employed 7,500 faculty members. The quality we have provided is proven by the fact that 83 percent of students passing in first division in SLC come from private schools. Private schools have taken roots not only in cities and urban areas but also in villages. It is simply unimaginable to think of education sector by keeping private schools out. Look at the present manpower in the country. You will find that most of the people that are employed in NGOs, INGOs, business houses etc are the products of private schools. Doctors, engineers and IT professionals also mostly come from private schools. This is the reality.

How do you see the charge that private schools extract high costs?

It is due to lack of knowledge that people make such charges. Look at how much the government is investing in public schools. They invest Rs.800 per high school student there. But because it is raised indirectly through taxes, the people are not concerned. But the majority of private schools provide better quality education at less than that cost. Barring a few institutions that charge high fees, most private schools charge reasonable and justified fees. All should understand that private schools have the compulsion to be sustainable on their own. They do not get funds from anywhere else. When you have to provide quality education that demands high-caliber teachers and facilities, costs definitely go high.

It is said that while students of public schools do not find proper jobs and go to work in Gulf countries, students of private schools go to western countries like USA. So there is a dearth of workforce that should have been driving the country. What do you say?

It is true. People with potential have left for overseas. This is an unfortunate situation for the country. There is a gap in quality in education provided by public and private schools. This is not desirable. In the long-term such differences could cause conflict. To address this problem, the only way is to improve the quality in public schools. For starters, the government could give more authority to headmasters of public schools who at present have no power even to sack a peon due to political interventions.

How do you find the government's policies?

There are lot of weaknesses in policies. It was because of pressures from private schools that the government came up with Seventh Amendment to the Education Act. Though it is better, it still has a number of contradictory provisions. It has a provision of classifying schools in different categories, which could lead to further widen the gap. Likewise, its provision for fixing fees is unscientific and unreasonable. It forces private schools to pay double or triple taxes in different names as it has to affiliate to different acts like Education and Company Act. The PABSON has been advocating for a separate and umbrella Private Schools Act.

Source:: SpotLight