EDUCATION
Pitfalls in Implementation of Right to Education
P M Kamath
Prime Minister on behalf of the UPA II released recently its one year’s progress report to public. Naturally, I am sure UPA II would look forward for public response to it. I would like to comment on one item from it as an educationist and educational administrator. The report card claims credit for the government’s successful implementation of Right to Education Act which was passed by the Union Parliament in August 2009 and implemented by it on all fools day—April 1, 2010. The report card claims it as a significant social legislation that is going to benefit Aam Aadmi.
No doubt it is extremely important social legislation if implemented to support its underlying spirit. But as of today more appropriately as per its date of implementation it seems to fool Aam Aadmi. My journalist friend tells me that I should first state my main conclusions first and then advance reason for the same. On that line, I would say that in speedy rather hasty implementation of RTE, government has been very generous in conferring certain absolute rights, where it is ‘others’ who have to implement them. In many cases, the burden seems to be on the private schools’ management. It is not even a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul! Here Peter and Paul both are bankrupt! But government is watching the fun!
What does it mean? Take for instance, RTE implementation in Mumbai! Almost all Primary Schools--aided, partially aided or unaided and permanently unaided, minority-run or non-minority-run, recently opened or century old, were at receiving end from the BMC or the government. At the clerical level, all primary schools in the city were given in the month of April 2010 questionnaire with an authoritative statement to bring it back filled with in a week’s time. No one was briefed or given a circular as to the purpose for which information was sought! Whole exercise was smacked by an approach: "I tell you, get it done. Don’t ask questions." It’s only when on May 25 a news paper carried a write up that some managers of private primary schools realized that the survey is related to implementation of RTE! But strangely the press report states that all those who do not fill the form will lose their registration/recognition. There is of course, no consultation or taking private management into confidence at all.
Take another circular issued by the Maharashtra Government. It specifically asks the schools not to fail a child till VIII standard Because RTE considers up to VIII std. as part of primary education. But BMC and Maharashtra government for all practical purposes considers, in effect, only up to V std. as primary section. But what will happen to a child who has gone into VIII std. last year but through out the year has not given any examination and has also not appeared to the final school examination of VIII standard. Should school declare such a child passed VIII Standard; suppose you hold a special examination after child is tutored and still it fails! What happens then? As a drop out from VIII std. a young boy or a girl enters into the job market, should employer treat him as VIII pass or failed? After another 8 years, situation will still worsen. If he has not given any examination at all—is he to be considered educationally qualified, if so as what? Will government propose to conduct an examination at the end of the academic year to certify a child as primary qualified person? Nothing is clear!
Does RTE believe in equality of treatment, not only children receiving education but also educators of these primary children? I hope it does; if not it ought to. If educators are satisfied and happy then they can provide good education to children under their care. Then take the example of the BMC, the so called richest municipal corporation in India. It gave to its teachers fifth and sixth pay commission-scales but it refuses to give sixth pay commission’s scales to teachers in the BMC aided private primary schools. Though it would like to control staff of the private aided schools as though its own—to the extent of asking clerical staff of private aided school’s to do their errands, on the ground that their staff is insufficient!
Take the primary school children of private aided primary schools. Children are discriminated in more than one way. While children in BMC primary schools do not pay any fees—RTE insists of free and compulsory primary education to all. But children in private aided schools are made to pay Rs. 20 to Rs. 25 as monthly fees by the BMC! Not only those children in BMC run primary schools are given uniforms, mid-day meals, milk but almost twenty six other items including hairpins to girls and one rupee per day as incentive to come to school.
On the other hand, as a manager of a private aided Kannada primary school I know it well that when our teachers go from door to door in hutments to promote education in our school, parents ask them: "what do you give to our children, if they come to you?" If we say: "we will give them uniforms, books" (by taking help of donors) and BMC gives you hot mid-day meal;" the parents say, "all that we get in BMC schools and much more like nutritious milk, biscuits, and variety of other items and cash as well!"
Why does the BMC do it? It would like to discourage all children from going to private aided or unaided schools. They suffer from the disturbing question: Despite making provisions for so many goodies for children, why do the parents still prefer to go to private primary schools?
To further add insult to injury, in front of a private aided primary school and another unaided private primary English School, BMC starts an English medium school within a distance of 100 feet! When the school management points out to the rule that no school can be permitted within a distance of one Km, BMC, tongue in cheek, write to inform that that rule is not binding on them! On the other hand, state government, while giving permission to private aided or unaided primary schools asks the private management to see that its opening a school, does not affect any existing schools! Isn’t it a step to force the private management to close down their schools so that public is left with no choice other than to go to the badly run BMC primary schools!
(Author is retd. professor and educational administrator)
P M Kamath
Prime Minister on behalf of the UPA II released recently its one year’s progress report to public. Naturally, I am sure UPA II would look forward for public response to it. I would like to comment on one item from it as an educationist and educational administrator. The report card claims credit for the government’s successful implementation of Right to Education Act which was passed by the Union Parliament in August 2009 and implemented by it on all fools day—April 1, 2010. The report card claims it as a significant social legislation that is going to benefit Aam Aadmi.
No doubt it is extremely important social legislation if implemented to support its underlying spirit. But as of today more appropriately as per its date of implementation it seems to fool Aam Aadmi. My journalist friend tells me that I should first state my main conclusions first and then advance reason for the same. On that line, I would say that in speedy rather hasty implementation of RTE, government has been very generous in conferring certain absolute rights, where it is ‘others’ who have to implement them. In many cases, the burden seems to be on the private schools’ management. It is not even a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul! Here Peter and Paul both are bankrupt! But government is watching the fun!
What does it mean? Take for instance, RTE implementation in Mumbai! Almost all Primary Schools--aided, partially aided or unaided and permanently unaided, minority-run or non-minority-run, recently opened or century old, were at receiving end from the BMC or the government. At the clerical level, all primary schools in the city were given in the month of April 2010 questionnaire with an authoritative statement to bring it back filled with in a week’s time. No one was briefed or given a circular as to the purpose for which information was sought! Whole exercise was smacked by an approach: "I tell you, get it done. Don’t ask questions." It’s only when on May 25 a news paper carried a write up that some managers of private primary schools realized that the survey is related to implementation of RTE! But strangely the press report states that all those who do not fill the form will lose their registration/recognition. There is of course, no consultation or taking private management into confidence at all.
Take another circular issued by the Maharashtra Government. It specifically asks the schools not to fail a child till VIII standard Because RTE considers up to VIII std. as part of primary education. But BMC and Maharashtra government for all practical purposes considers, in effect, only up to V std. as primary section. But what will happen to a child who has gone into VIII std. last year but through out the year has not given any examination and has also not appeared to the final school examination of VIII standard. Should school declare such a child passed VIII Standard; suppose you hold a special examination after child is tutored and still it fails! What happens then? As a drop out from VIII std. a young boy or a girl enters into the job market, should employer treat him as VIII pass or failed? After another 8 years, situation will still worsen. If he has not given any examination at all—is he to be considered educationally qualified, if so as what? Will government propose to conduct an examination at the end of the academic year to certify a child as primary qualified person? Nothing is clear!
Does RTE believe in equality of treatment, not only children receiving education but also educators of these primary children? I hope it does; if not it ought to. If educators are satisfied and happy then they can provide good education to children under their care. Then take the example of the BMC, the so called richest municipal corporation in India. It gave to its teachers fifth and sixth pay commission-scales but it refuses to give sixth pay commission’s scales to teachers in the BMC aided private primary schools. Though it would like to control staff of the private aided schools as though its own—to the extent of asking clerical staff of private aided school’s to do their errands, on the ground that their staff is insufficient!
Take the primary school children of private aided primary schools. Children are discriminated in more than one way. While children in BMC primary schools do not pay any fees—RTE insists of free and compulsory primary education to all. But children in private aided schools are made to pay Rs. 20 to Rs. 25 as monthly fees by the BMC! Not only those children in BMC run primary schools are given uniforms, mid-day meals, milk but almost twenty six other items including hairpins to girls and one rupee per day as incentive to come to school.
On the other hand, as a manager of a private aided Kannada primary school I know it well that when our teachers go from door to door in hutments to promote education in our school, parents ask them: "what do you give to our children, if they come to you?" If we say: "we will give them uniforms, books" (by taking help of donors) and BMC gives you hot mid-day meal;" the parents say, "all that we get in BMC schools and much more like nutritious milk, biscuits, and variety of other items and cash as well!"
Why does the BMC do it? It would like to discourage all children from going to private aided or unaided schools. They suffer from the disturbing question: Despite making provisions for so many goodies for children, why do the parents still prefer to go to private primary schools?
To further add insult to injury, in front of a private aided primary school and another unaided private primary English School, BMC starts an English medium school within a distance of 100 feet! When the school management points out to the rule that no school can be permitted within a distance of one Km, BMC, tongue in cheek, write to inform that that rule is not binding on them! On the other hand, state government, while giving permission to private aided or unaided primary schools asks the private management to see that its opening a school, does not affect any existing schools! Isn’t it a step to force the private management to close down their schools so that public is left with no choice other than to go to the badly run BMC primary schools!
(Author is retd. professor and educational administrator)
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