After HC’s acknowledgement of private education: Govt must take pvt sector on board in developing education standards: PSAJK
Srinagar, Jan 29: The Private Schools Association J&K (PSAJK) has sought government acknowledgement for the private sector and sought hand holding in developing standards of education in J&K.
The move comes a day after the J&K High Court acknowledged the role of the private education sector in J&K. Talking to Greater Kashmir, President PSAJK Nazrul Islam Baba said the High Court has acknowledged the role of the private sector in the ecosystem of J&K. "Government should accept the private sector as knowledge partners and take us on board for the developing standards of education in J&K," president PSAJK told Greater Kashmir.
He said the same model is being followed by Maharashtra, Karnataka and other states as well. The J&K High Court in a judgment while disposing of a petition filed by the private schools a few years ago stated that the private schools have come to play a significant role in school education in India.
"Various factors, such as the increasing demand for quality education, the expansion of the middle class, and the perceived inadequacies of the public education system, have contributed to this trend," the judgment reads. "The failure of the public education system has led to the mushroom growth of private institutions. Unemployed educated youth have taken up this occupation for earning their livelihood," it reads. The judgment reads that the elements of profit-making and employment generation involved in establishing private institutions by making substantial investment cannot be ignored.
"While there may be instances of commercialization of school education and profiteering in urban and semi-urban areas, the same may not be true of small schools established in rural areas by the educated unemployed youth," it reads.
The High Court judgment reads that private schools have outperformed public schools in terms of students' learning outcomes and in providing basic infrastructure such as classrooms, toilets, and drinking water facilities. "They have also been found to be more efficient with respect to teacher absenteeism and financial management," it reads.
President PSAJK said that the High Court in its judgment has hinted that establishment of private schools was not only about profiteering but also about providing quality education. "It is an understandable fact that quality comes with a cost. But at the same time we are not against regulation but over regulation is akin to strangulation," Baba told Greater Kashmir.
He said the Maharashtra government was working together with private schools in the establishment of knowledge parks. "The J&K government can follow the same model to develop the standards of education," he said.
