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| The Hindu THE LONG ROAD TO GOOD SCHOOLING: Girls on their way to school near Koraput, Orissa. Photo: K.R. Deepak |
The Supreme Court's recent mandate that private unaided non-minority
schools should reserve 25 per cent of seats for underprivileged children
is being hailed as a landmark ruling. The spirit of the decision is
indeed laudable as it reflects the egalitarian ethos of the Right to
Education (RTE) Act. Thus, as private schools open their doors to
children from marginalised sections of society, the government pats
itself on the back for engineering a social revolution. Aside from the
logistical complications this entails, the government's congratulatory
mood is both premature and misguided for a number of reasons.
Undoubtedly, education is the quintessential passport to greater
opportunities — be they economic, academic or social. As the RTE Act
holds, all children, regardless of their family backgrounds or
individual profiles, should have access to a meaningful education that
empowers them to read critically, problem-solve analytically and think
imaginatively.
ASER study
However, our collective enthusiasm for the court's decision would turn
out to be misplaced if anyone bothers to do basic math. According to a
study published online by Dr. Wilima Wadhwa of Annual Status of
Education Report (ASER), enrolment in private schools in 2008 was 22.6
per cent. While this figure is likely to have increased since, over
70-75 per cent of our children still attend government schools. Even as
private schools reserve 25 per cent of seats for economically backward
children, the vast majority will still be schooled in government-run
institutions. Moreover, most children in rural areas attend government
schools. According to the District Information System for Education
2010-11, as many as 84 per cent of children in villages attend
government schools. If the RTE Act has to be implemented in letter and
in spirit, the government cannot ignore the quality of education it
provides under its roof just because it has “won” the reservation battle
with private institutions. Even as the government makes private schools
“socially responsible,” it still has to bear the onus of educating the
majority of children. Further, the assumption that private schooling is
superior to a government education is based on the fact that children in
the former tend to outperform the latter in examinations. But that is a
superficial reading of facts. Once we scratch the surface, we find that
other factors also contribute to children's better outcomes in private
schools, as indicated in a study conducted by Dr. Wadhwa. When parental
education, tuition classes and economic disparities are controlled for,
the difference in reading scores between government and private schools
falls drastically from 20 per cent to five per cent.
In addition, we have to recognise that private schools differ vastly in
terms of the quality of education they provide. This is why there are
serpentine queues from the early hours of the morning for admissions
into kindergarten in a few reputed schools. The scramble for seats is
evidence of the dearth of quality education. Just herding children into
private schools is not going to ensure their learning unless teachers
are sensitised and trained to deal with children with different
profiles. According to a study conducted by Wipro and Educational
Initiatives, there are significant differences in the scores of children
attending schools affiliated to the various national and State boards.
Besides, children in the “top” private schools also exhibit rote
learning and prejudiced thinking on sensitive socio-cultural issues.
Three factors abroad
Thus, we cannot overlook the fact that our educational system, both
government and private, is in need of serious overhaul. In 2007,
McKinsey and Company published a report that analysed why some school
systems in the world ranked highly in international assessments of
literacy, numeracy and problem-solving year after year. Top performing
countries included Belgium, Finland, Japan, Hong Kong, Netherlands,
Singapore and South Korea. While the countries sported vast differences,
both culturally and politically, three factors regarding their
education systems were common to all high performing nations.
First, a teaching job in these countries, unlike in India, is a
high-status profession. In addition to receiving salaries comparable to
other well-paying jobs, teacher training courses are highly selective
and admit only the cream of graduates. Second, teachers are provided
intensive training and new recruits are mentored on the job. In our
country, teachers tend to work in isolation and inexperienced teachers
are expected to handle a class on their own without additional guidance.
Third, in the top-performing countries, schools try to offer the best
possible education for every child by supporting those who lag behind.
These schools monitor student performance closely and intervene when
children fall behind by employing special educators who are trained in
remedial instruction.
Thus, both government and private schools need to implement systemic
changes. The coming academic year is an apt starting point when the RTE
goes into effect nationally. Private schools need to welcome poor
children wholeheartedly and prepare to meet the educational demands that
this reservation will bring. Our educational establishments are
generally insensitive to children with learning difficulties with most
schools lacking formal remedial programmes. As children from weaker
sections enter their portals, the need for such services is only going
to increase.
A U.S. study
A study in the United States revealed that the vocabulary of a
three-year-old child of professional parents was 1,100 words whereas, a
child whose parents were on welfare had a vocabulary of just 525 words.
Under the RTE, poor children were admitted in 2011 into Shri Ram School,
New Delhi. An article in the Wall Street Journal quoted the
principal, Manika Sharma as saying: “The teachers have come into my
office and broken down. They say, ‘Help us. There is no learning
happening for the other affluent children. What we achieved in one week
with kids before is taking three weeks.'” Writer John Gardner aptly
says, “The schools are the golden avenue of opportunity for able
youngsters but they are also the arena in which less able youngsters
discover their limitations.” As private schools open their doors,
educators have to ensure that children from poor homes do not feel
threatened by their more able and affluent peers, both academically and
socially. Schools need resource personnel who can counsel and help these
children realise their potential. In addition to supplementary remedial
classes that help students bridge the academic divide, all children
should be sensitised on getting along amicably.
Even as the child who comes to school in a chauffeur driven car, studies
alongside the chauffeur's child, the government cannot shy away from
upgrading infrastructure, enhancing teacher quality and promoting
educational attainment in public schools. As a society, we need to make a
concerted effort to achieve educational excellence, both government and
private. Private educators and the government have to work
synergistically to loosen the shackles of our strictly stratified
society.
(Aruna Sankaranarayanan is Director, Prayatna. E-mail: arunasankara@gmail.com)
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