This School or That School?

EDUCATION IS FREEDOM. But at what cost does this freedom come to us? To our society? And to the rich and poor?

In the name of imparting values and morals, commercialization of education has increased social inequality. The gap between the rich and the poor is widening and aggravating more than ever. Illiteracy among the poor is the most overlooked scam pervading across our country for years. In rural India, where about half of our population lives and where public schools are present mostly, the number of educated children remains of utmost concern. Most of these government-run schools lack funding, professional staff, advanced lab equipment, proper hygiene, and even basic toilet facilities. Thus, the public schools offer very lowquality education and this difference triggers just because their student’s parents cannot afford the luxury of private schooling.

Private schools, on the other hand, provide better teaching faculty, infrastructure, facilities, etc. Therefore, ‘private schools are a better choice for your kid’ is considered a plain fact. That’s why parents believe that by sending their children to these schools, they are fulfilling their duty of ‘securing’ their childrens’ future. Unfortunately, such a belief system creates a negative pattern in the minds of those who can’t make it to private schools. They grow up with an inferiority complex and a feeling of being unworthy or underserving whenever a good opportunity comes their way. And on top of that when they mess up with these opportunities, they continue this vicious cycle with their own kids.

Even when the poor students from public schools get into the private, they land up in a place where others have parents richer than theirs. This leads to unhealthy comparisons, friendships, and groupism based on the monetary status of their parents. Thus, private schools aren’t necessarily good for us. They, anyway, only care for profit! They unconsciously manipulate millions of people in to paying enormous cheques as tuition fee and we tend to turn a blind eye on them.

Instead all that people’s money should be invested by the government to build more schools in villages that lack education. Only when the private schools are monitored will our ministers think of bettering the government ones. Only then will they initiate reforms and policies that bridge the gap between the private and public sectors. Politicians will move forward and do what is best for the majority only if they are pressed to do that. Even their children and those of civil servants take great pride in private schooling without thinking of the societal repercussions this leads to.

With every parent wanting to send their kids into private schools, I feel that the ‘choice’ of having private schools itself should be removed to improve the overall standard of our education. Only then will people willingly send their kids to public schools and parents will take pride in doing so. Since I truly believe that private schools inhibit the reform of the public system, I suggest that private schools be banned. We, the people have the power to bring about changes and we will!