Prof. (Dr) Dharmakanta Kumbhakar
(The writer can be reached at drkdharmakanta@yahoo.com)
In Assam, most families send their children to private schools despite the fact that govern-ment schools are free, because most of the private schools in Assam often score better results in board examinations than the government ones, cover the entire curriculum, and offer extracurricular activities. More than 90 percent of families, even the poorest, in urban Assam and most of the middle-class families in rural Assam enrol their children in private schools. Private schooling has come to be associated with an apparent perception of quality in Assam and is thus desirable in the eyes of the stakeholders, irrespective of their socio-economic status.
In reality, most of the private school authorities, especially the English-medium private school authorities in Assam, are taking advantage of this perception. Operating private schools in Assam has now become a big service industry, more or less a profit-making business. Though it is mandatory for all private schools functioning in Assam (irrespective of their board affiliation recognition from SEBA, CBSE, or ICSE) to be registered under the Assam Non-Government Educational Institutions (Regulation & Management) Act, 2006, and to follow the norms of the Act, several discrepancies can be found in their operations.
It has been seen that most of the private schools in Assam fail to comply with the rules of the Act. They lack the required land, open spaces for sports and other activities, safe school buildings, and proper infrastructure as per the norms of the Act, except for a few costly English-medium private schools and very few Assamese-medium private schools. The school buildings lack earthquake protection, fire safety measures, and safe electrification. The school campuses are not clean and hygienic. The class rooms are not spacious and hygienic. They are overcrowded and lack sufficient lighting and fanning. The school authorities enrol more students than the infrastructure can sustain. Some private schools don’t have safe drinking water facilities or hygienic toilet facilities. Many don’t even provide separate girls’ toilets. Most of the private schools in Assam lack facilities for girl students: adequate and private space for changing sanitary napkins, soap, and adequate water to wash themselves and their clothes during menstrual periods, and facilities for the safe disposal of soiled sanitary napkins. The school authorities don’t monitor the issues related to the safety of the students through a strict monitoring system. The government authority concerned should begin on-the-spot inspections of all private schools in Assam. If the schools fail to comply with the rules, their registrations should be cancelled.
It has been seen that most of the private schools in Assam charge exorbitant fees, but the facilities, including teaching, are not up to standard. It is true that the private schools in Assam have to function on the fees collected from the students. They don’t get aid or grants from the government. But it is a regular practice of the authorities of the private schools of Assam, especially in Guwahati, to hike tuition fees, readmission fees, renewal fees, etc., at the slightest pretext. Though the authorities of these schools do it in the name of providing quality education, improving infrastructure facilities, and increasing the salaries of teachers and non-teaching staff, these exercises appear to be nothing but a means of fleecing the guardians. The State Fee Regulatory Board should take strict action against them, which are allegedly charging exorbitant fees. Moreover, most of the English-medium private schools in Assam either sell books and uniforms themselves or ask the guardians to buy them from specific sellers.
The main aim of a school, whether private or government, is to provide quality education to students. An honest, dedicated, qualified, and skilled teacher is the key to providing quality education. Most of the private schools in Assam lack such teachers. They don’t join private schools due to the low salary scale. Moreover, the private school authorities don’t appoint such teachers because they have to pay a good salary. The school authorities don’t follow the set rules for the appointment of teachers with B.Ed. or D.El. Ed. qualifications. The percentage of untrained teachers is higher in private schools, and most of them don’t receive in-service training. A few private schools even lack a sufficient number of teachers to maintain the pupil-teacher ratio. The explosion of private schools as well as students in Assam is creating ideal conditions wherein these teachers can be exploited. The true economic status of private school teachers in Assam is really pathetic, considering their status. They are one of the lowest-paid groups in the state. Some private school teachers don’t get the facilities of the provident fund and ESI schemes. One needs economic security to give one’s best in any profession. Due to their low salaries, the teachers of the private schools in Assam are unable to do justice with their profession. They need to do private tuition for extra income. There is a need for higher pay for these teachers. One hopes the government will take the necessary steps in this regard. As teaching in private schools is not rewarding in material terms, the profession doesn’t attract the brighter and more dynamic youth in Assam, thereby ensuring a continuation of the decline in teaching standards.
There is a need for greater economic empowerment of the private school teachers in Assam and tackling concerns such as good salary, job security, provident fund, post-retirement benefits, etc., so that the profession attracts the best and brightest youth in Assam. The State Government should strictly monitor that the private school authorities appoint B.Ed. or D.EI. Ed. passed, TET-qualified candidates as teachers and pay appropriate salaries. The state government should provide financial aid to the private schools in Assam to minimise the students’ fees and to pay a good salary to the teachers and non-teaching staff.
The state government should keep a check on the functioning of the private schools in Assam, keeping in mind the future of our students. They should consider the operations of private schools as an industry and strictly apply the norms of an industry like quality, minimum wages, etc. There is an urgent need for a special act to rein in the private school authorities of Assam.