MAR 26 - The trend of sending
one’s children to boarding schools has been increasing rapidly. And, recently,
the first thing the new committee that took over the Private Boarding Schools’
Organization (Pabson) did was hike the school fees. As a result, parents are
anxious and confused about what to do and what not to do. How far is this
decision logical and justifiable? Where is the mechanism to judge such
decisions? Yes, such illogical decisions transform academia into a profit-oriented
cottage industry instead of an ideal place for pedagogy.
Indeed, we
are encouraging private schools as noble places for quality education and
ignoring the standard of public schools. And why are we subordinating public
schools even though the teachers are well trained and a huge amount of money
has been invested by the Ministry of Education and NGOs/INGOs? Such an improper
attitude is what encourages private schools to increase their fees.
And, this
is a reprehensible reality that parents have to accept innocently, and they can
neither pull out their children from private schools despite their high fees
nor can they admit them in public schools.
And it may
not be possible to admit children in public schools instantly. Furthermore,
parents are obviously pleased to see their children studying in boarding
schools while a majority of boarding school teachers are unfortunate to be
teachers there due to low salaries and heavy workload. Such kinds of terrible
issues should be addressed and rectified soon to create a conducive environment
for learning. Otherwise, parents will be oppressed and this is the best of time
for school owners to suppress parents by imposing unjustifiable decisions.
Nepali
academia is like a practical lab where schemes are tested and no longer exist.
For instance, the School Sector Reform Plan is the best evidence of a fancy
scheme that could not be applied yet. These kinds of failures are the most
important reasons behind the attraction among parents towards boarding schools.
This is the time to be serious and make public schools as qualitative as
possible. Let’s transform public schools into an ideal place for learning by
strengthening the alternative education system, liberal promotion policy,
continuous assessment system and teachers’ professional development, which
eventually create a conducive learning environment. This is the time for
stakeholders including teachers, parents, school management committees to act
wisely by minimising political intervention at all costs.
Public schools
will definitely be good if the elite groups in Nepali society are committed to
admitting theirchildren
there. Let’s not treat public schools as a matter of negligence and blame but
create an effective management system ensuring their proper monitoring and
evaluation. This is an urgent time to act for the amendment of the Education
Act 1972 and publish the results of the examination for teachers conducted by
the Teachers’ Service Commission. Then the academic year 2071 will be the
starting year for change where admission in public schools will increase at a
faster rate.
( published in The Kathmandu Post, http://www.ekantipur.com/2014/03/26/oped/hurray-for-public-schools/387284.html
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