EDUCATION FOR SALE. by Nisser Dias

Pseudo educationists develop new methods to exploit parents.

As the current academic year is coming to a close, government approved private unaided schools run by businessmen are at it again with the same old intention to bleed parents of their hard earned money through some devious method or the other. And though the deceitful schemes of the businessmen and women in educationist clothing have been brought the notice of the government through the director of Education, nothing has changed and the exploitation of the parents continues unabated.

The malaise is so deep rooted due to gullible and vulnerable parents that the persons managing Trusts, Society and Mandals have even breached High Court order of maintaining status quo on the proposal of hike in fees and have charged parents higher fees not approved by the Director of Education as mandated in the Goa State Education Act.

Be that as it may, businessmen who saw an opportunity in making easy money through education, devise innovative ways to squeeze money from the parents. Initially it was through pre-primary education (Junior KG & Sr. KG). The idea behind admitting a three and half year old child at the pre-primary level in a particular institution was because the absorption in the same school at the primary level becomes easier. The pseudo educationist saw through the idea and started exploiting parents by demanding huge sums of money for admissions. Donation became the prime criteria for admittance of a three and half year old child in an unaided institution and even some aided schools.

Furthermore earlier admission was assured if parents paid the donation but in today’s scenario parents are being made to pay to reserve a seat. In other words you pay for reserving the seat and then pay more for admission depending upon the demand. Which means parents who cannot make it during earlier stages of admission process have to pay a much higher price.

In Goa too after the Progressive Democratic Front government changed the medium of instruction from English to Konkani or Marathi; businessmen saw an opportunity to commercialize education. Of course our illiterate politicians do not have the vision or the foresight and business houses were more than happy to convince the government of their social responsibility towards the society and the need to set up schools without government financial aid. Of course our buffoons in the government and the Directorate of Education did not see through the designs of these businessmen and allowed them to set up schools.

Today we have these institutions running even nurseries (play schools). It is not that nurseries did not exist, they did but they were run in villages maybe by a housewife at a minimal cost. But today big names unaided schools in Goa have made it sort of a cottage industry. And the terms are the same, huge donation during admissions with promises of easy admittance in pre-primary besides huge fees.

While on the topic of fees there are schools in Goa who have adopted multiple fee structures in the same division. The calculation goes like this, for children studying in class first, if the child had joined the institution in KG 1 and has reached first standard a certain fee structure, if another child is enrolled in the institution in KG 2 and reaches class one it is a different fee structure and if a child directly admitted in first standard it is yet another fee structure.

Coming back this year a school in the commercial capital of Goa have commenced developing a new section called a ‘playgroup’ for children just above two years. I simply cannot understand the rationale behind this group as children of two years should be at home enjoying, learning the basics of talking, walking, running and in comfort of their parents and those at home. They surely should not be in a room of children with a teacher screaming at their sense of curiosity. I am pretty sure that the management of this particular school do not have philanthropic ideas about developing this group, it can only be money.

And these are the same unaided schools which always boast about quality education. A two year child spends quality time with its parents and not in school. If the managements of these schools snatch this quality time with the parents what quality education can it impart.

Talking about imparting quality education there should be quality personnel. There is complaint on record filed before Director of Education, wherein a principal termed parents, “Bloody violent Goans”. If the principal can resort to abusive language, it amply indicates he himself does not have ethics, morals and values for his students to emulate and how can this principal impart quality education. The Director of Education too as is her habit is sitting tight on the complaint. A principal insults Goans and the director does not lift a finger thereby encouraging and abetting such attitude. There are number instances like this in various unaided schools one could write volumes on it.

Lets us now dwell upon the managements of these charitable Societies, Trusts and Mandals. Business they are, but some are family ventures with mothers, daughters, sons, wives, husbands and in some case even in-laws being appointed as trustees. There are cases of non qualified promoters of the schools who have anointed themselves as principals and in some case even physically challenged children of trustees were appointed as teachers. There is a case in point wherein a non-qualified person was endorsed as a principal and even signed various documents but when it came to inspection she used to instruct the staff and students not to address her as principal.

But qualified teachers are paid pittance even today though it is made mandatory that all teachers irrespective of the type of school whether aided or unaided be paid on par with government teachers. Till recently there was an instance wherein a teacher of fourteen years was being paid a pittance salary and that too in cash until she protested and forced to be paid in cheque.

Finally parents, teachers and genuine educationist cannot allow education to be commercialized and have to stand up against it. Parents have done it so far, like minded teachers are in the process of uniting and now educationist have also to raise the voice to stop education being made into a business venture.