Indians must be getting richer. More and more parents are sending their children to private schools. By all accounts these schools are not cheap. I only pay special fees once a year for my son, but his cousin who goes to a private school has to pay several thousand dollars a term! Uniforms have to be different as well. The fancy polo shirts, long trousers, track shoes, T-shirts and even blazers can end up costing a bomb. Furthermore, these schools are often located outside the city area. So, one would have to add in the cost of traveling on air-conditioned buses.
We ask ourselves why parents are doing this. Surely not all parents have money to throw down the drain? What is going on in our public schools that parents see the need to look elsewhere for their children’s education?
To start with, many parents complain that in public schools, classes are overcrowded. To have at least 41 students in a class is normal. Parents therefore fear that their children are not getting enough attention. Private schools, on the other hand, guarantee smaller classes. The average size of a class is about 30 for the upper secondary. There is even a school which boasts of only 12 students in a Pure Science class. This is the equivalent of providing your child with a private tutor.
Another common complaint is that our schools do not have well-equipped laboratories. Many teachers do not even conduct experiments—they have neither the equipment nor the expertise.
This is why; some parents think that private sector schools have more qualified teachers. This is not a surprise. Private school students pay more so perhaps they get better teachers. Public schools have to accept all those ‘sent’ to them. Principals from private schools can choose from a range of applicants who apply for the teaching jobs.
Private schools can also afford better facilities. Most of them have air-conditioned classrooms, well stocked libraries and clean toilets. Sports facilities and equipment are also better. Most of the private schools have gymnasiums, proper basketball courts, badminton courts and playing fields with well cut grass. Of course, we understand that all these come with a price but then again many middle-class Indians can afford to pay.
Finally, private schools dare to do something that public schools dare not—they guarantee good results. They help parents push their children by making them do homework during school time and providing regular feedback in the form of monthly report cards. The schools also provide parents with telephone numbers of their teachers so parents can check on their children’s educational progress.
For all these reasons, it is not difficult to see why private schools are mushrooming in many towns in the country.
Vocabulary
overcrowded packed to capacity
mushrooming coming up