Set your house in order

Over the past many years it has been observed that as the winter sets in the whole focus shifts to the private education system prevailing in the valley. As the annual exams of the junior classes are over, the parents start a campaign on social media against the private schools in Kashmir with the allegations that these institutions have turned into “business houses."

Like every year, this year also the parents started a campaign against a few private schools for violating the norms. The complaints were that the schools, mostly not affiliated with JKBOSE, were prescribing textbooks of the private publishers which are sold at the exorbitant rates to the parents.

Following the complaints, the Director School Education Kashmir (DSEK) convened a meeting with the parents and the schools wherein the schools were asked to display the list of textbooks on the website of the respective schools.

The issue about the textbooks came to limelight when the JK Board of School Education (JKBOSE) ordered the private schools to adopt JKBOSE prescribed textbooks but failed to keep the adequate supply of books available in the market.

The JKBOSE was supposed to keep the stock available in the market for the private schools. But it miserably failed to complete the exercise due to which the winter vacation period turned unproductive for the students.

Coming to the point now, ideally the government is supposed to provide education to the children and as per the existing policy, the students are to be provided free and compulsory education up to elementary level.

The role of private schools is to supplement the government sector in providing education, as an additional option for them. Despite being an option, the whole focus is on the private education sector while the standards of the government schools are going down the drain with each passing year, as depicted in all the national surveys prepared by different organizations.

Let us take a look at the prevailing government education sector. In the last few years, around 4394 government schools were closed following which the total number of government schools reduced from 23,117 to 18,723 in Jammu and Kashmir. Surprisingly, the schools got closed at a time when the government claimed to have registered two lac new admissions in government schools. But on ground we only saw the closure of the 4400 schools which goes contrary to the government claims. But unfortunately, nobody from the society is asking why these schools were closed and if the schools got closed where are the services of the teachers, posted in these schools, being utilised.

Not only teachers but all the government employees are answerable to public and they have to be made accountable for their role and contribution towards the society. But it seems that there has been no accountability in the government education system because if it had been, the society by and large would have sought an explanation from the government over the closure of the 4000 government schools. Not only this, the government officially handed over around 600 surplus buildings to other government departments and nobody raised a question why and how these buildings were declared surplus if the facility was created for students.

The closure of schools and the declaration of 600 buildings as surplus is enough to understand the functioning of the government department.

The point here is that why there is a hue and cry if any private school, being an additional option to impart education, gives a hike in the fees and why there is no word from the society if more than 4000 schools are closed and more than 600 buildings are left unattended.

If we as a society are trying to ensure accountability in a single private school, aren't we responsible to bring accountability in the government education system and should not we advocate transparency in the government education system and ensure that the money of taxpayers is utilised genuinely.

While the government is making tall claims to ensure accountability to private education sector, its own system is craving for accountability. Out of 10 districts, let us take an example of Srinagar district in central Kashmir.

As per the official data, around 45 percent of the government schools in Srinagar lack permanent accommodation. Out of 386 schools in Srinagar as many as 176 are operating from rented accommodations. Unfortunately there is no concern shown by public by and large towards the grave issue. Not only this, if we look at the Pupil Teacher Ratio (PTR) in Srinagar, it raises a big question mark on the accountability in the government education system.

In most of the schools of Srinagar, we see teachers outnumber students; for whatever the reasons. And the society is behaving as a mute spectator.

As a society, our focus should not remain towards private education sector only, but equal attention should be paid towards improving government education sector which can be done only by bringing accountability in the system.

As the department recently issued directions to private schools to upload the list of textbooks on websites, similar action should be taken in government schools and the number of teachers posted in a school should be made public. To begin with, the initiative should be taken from Srinagar. Like textbooks of private schools, the number of teachers posted in each school of Srinagar district should also be made public and let people decide if the government education system was on track or not.

Rather than running after private schools, the government should focus on setting its own house in order and  ensure that the government education system improves to a level where the private schools become a relevant option for the parents.