Ramesh Pandita
Education sector in the state of Jammu and Kashmir has always been an area of concern, especially in regard to school education under govt sector, where govt schools can easily be seen running in shambles all across the state. It is not that authorities at the helm are not aware of this pathetic state of govt run schools, but it is the mental state of public in general and authorities in particular, which has grown so sterile that society at large has developed a sort of impression whereby people have started donning it that this is what govt schools are all about. Needless to remind that during the 11th plan period govt of India allocated 19% of its total budget to education sector and this in itself speaks volumes about the seriousness of central govt in revamping the education scenario of the county but to deliver it with same sincerity at federal level remained always missing.
Apart from allocating money directly to education sector and the introduction of schemes like SSA, Midday Meal, IEDSS, Saakshar Bharat, SPQEM, Rastriya Madmink Shiksha Abhiyan etc launched by govt of India from time to time should cease the doubts in the minds of people that funds many have ever been the constraint to run govt schools efficiently. Tall and high claims made by department of school education on its website about its achievements and the figures thereof provided goes contrary to the facts that there are schools where teachers and support staff outnumber students, the abrasive truth everybody is cognizant, as what govt schools are all about.
There is an urgent need to see to it as what makes private school teaching the preferred option among parents and children. Perhaps the fundamental problem with the schooling of govt schools is, what I see from a layman’s perspective is that they haven’t yet come out of the conventional methods of teaching and nor they want, be it syllabi, be it uniform, be it school buildings, labs, libraries or even the teaching methods and practices. Need is to facelift the school environment, dull and unhygienic atmosphere in and around govt schools is a cause of worry and this in turn acts as a reason in developing dull psyche about the functioning of govt schools. Above all the non-seriousness among govt teachers to teach the children like their own wards is missing, these and many more things add to dysfunction of govt schools. As per the un-dated figures uploaded at the school education department website, compared to govt schools, private schools are sharing more responsibility of educating children for the fact that teacher taught ratio in private schools is far less than govt schools but still these schools are very much instrumental in sustaining the school education sector of the state.
The missing link in deteriorating condition of govt schools despite having almost everything in place, be it trained and qualified teachers, ample funds to raise necessary infrastructure, all possible help from state, centre or other govt agencies and still these structures present nothing more than a shabby look, can be owed to the fact that these schools are no more flocked by the children of people taking care of these schools, be it minister, teacher, administrator, super-ordinate or subordinate staff or other support staff at all levels, and had the case been so they won’t have been presenting such a garish look. On the contrary one can easily see private schools progressing leaps and bounds with minimal resources. No doubt affordability of people to teach their wards in private schools offering better facilities with better teaching environment has increased manifold but at the same time we should not forget that if people have moved their children to newer education environment, it is only because they have lost the faith in govt and its methods of school education.
Most of grants made available to school education department for various purposes hardly reach to their desired end and those which reach, reach only for name sake that too without any transparency and accountability. Introduction of midday meal scheme by and large appears comprehensive as the scheme is being welcomed all across the country but the malpractice in the midday meal and other schemes is not clandestine to anybody. Proper accountability and transparency of the same at different levels will ensure fair use of grants to greater extent, but the systems is crippled so badly that at some point of time it seems that, it is the govt which does not want corrupt practices to be checked.
In order to streamline the system, need is to hold the bull by both the horns and there can’t be any option better than making it mandatory to all the employees of school education department, from top down to bottom, from ministerial level to ground level worker of department to enroll their wards in Govt schools of which they are part and parcel. It is a common site to see the wards of govt teachers, administrative heads of the department along with other staff enrolled in private schools.
Acculturation is what govt school education system is crying for. Need is to introduce attractive and catchy education culture where by students should be enthusiastic about going to schools and not shying away from it. This sort of environment can be created by introducing contemporary teaching culture by shedding conventional dull uniform culture by having more attractive ones on the pattern of private schools. Children from BPL and poor families can be made direct beneficiaries under various schemes of govt introduced from time to time, and schemes be introduced whereby provision of uniform and other teaching aids, textbooks, stationary articles etc can be made available to them. Introducing bus service to children of govt schools will act as boon. Children from govt schools for the want of above schooling culture and for various similar reasons shy away from children from private schools and the fancy and attractive outside culture acts as foremost reason. Even if govt is hesitant to provide bus service to school children free of cost, for that matter some nominal service charges can be introduced. School timings can be made flexible mostly depending upon the local temperate conditions of the area or region. More and more emphasis should be laid on extra and co-curricular activities which in turn can act as added advantage in grooming these neglected institutions
These and various other similar measures if introduced and enforced will definitely prove as a catalyst in revamping govt school education culture. Need is to recreate and restore faith among parents about the better schooling and functioning of govt schools. There is no denial in it that teachers in govt schools are highly qualified as such public in general don’t have doubt in the delivering capability of these teachers. Introduction of numerous schemes by govt towards the revamping of school education system is useless, unless and until we have recipients at the other end.
(The author is Assistant Librarian, BGSB University, Rajouri J&K)
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