As the new AAP government looks forward to taking power in Delhi again, this may be a good time to consider some of the challenges the new Chief Minister is likely to face when he turns to the subject of school education. More than anything else, I pray that he and his team, with the benefit of the overwhelming mandate of the people behind them and a full five year term to serve, will take the time to understand the situation before jumping to conclusions or hasty decisions.
It is heartening to note that unlike most other parties, the AAP manifesto for the Delhi elections made specific mention of education, although I find it hard to understand how much of what was included will actually be implemented. What is particularly worrisome is the implicit belligerence on display towards private schools - proposals to "monitor private schools fees" for instance, indicate an especially narrow understanding of the issues involved.
One of the first documents I would recommend Mr Kejriwal reads is the magnificent report prepared by the committee set up to review the Delhi School Education Act and Rules, 1973, chaired by the redoubtable Ms Shailaja Chandra, former Chief Secretary of Delhi. The committee, over a period of eight months in 2011, reviewed the existing situation and related documents, and met with a cross-section of stakeholders in the sector before making some very far reaching recommendations. These include, among other things, a proposal to remove the dreaded "Essentiality Certificate" that every school management must obtain before it can even think of starting a school, allowing private companies to start schools, and considering the recognition of unrecognised budget schools that perform well.
There are nearly 5000 schools in Delhi, of varying shapes, sizes, and types. The situation is complicated further by the fact that several agencies are responsible for overseeing their functioning - there are MCD schools, NDMC schools, Cantonment Board schools, and State government schools. (With the trifurcation of MCD, the erstwhile MCD schools have now been divided between the three new bodies.) Then there are the Kendriya Vidyalayas, the Pratibha Pathshalas, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas, and others. All these are government run; private schools are divided into minority and non-minority categories, and further into aided and unaided schools. Some schools are run by NGOs and charities, such as the Deepalaya school that has recently been threatened with closure because it cannot meet the yardsticks specified by the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009. And last, but not least, are the unrecognised budget schools that often run from one or two rooms in someone's house, and certainly meet none of the prescribed norms.
In terms of enrolment, roughly 50-55 percent children in Delhi attend some form of government school, while 40 percent go to private school. According to an MCD estimate (referred to in the committee report mentioned above), unrecognised schools accounted for about 1.64 lakh children; if correct, this comes to about 4 percent of total enrolments.
Every admission season reinforces that fact that there are not enough good schools available, although it is difficult to believe, as the media and some activists would like you to, that all schools under private management are exploitative, expensive and non-transparent. The truth is that many of them struggle to comply with very harsh regulations, including having to pay teachers salaries that match the exorbitant ones paid to government school teachers, and still provide a decent education. And because government schools tend to be a second choice for many parents, the supply of places in private schools is unable to meet the demand.
Unlike other States, government schools in Delhi do relatively well on the education quality front; initiatives taken by the SCERT some years ago have borne fruit, and the general rate of scholastic achievement has been encouraging. However, they too are unable to admit all the children who apply, and often function with overcrowded classrooms and not enough teaching staff. Infrastructure continues to remain a serious problem; new schools need to be built, while existing ones need immediate investment in facilities like blackboards, furniture, electricity, toilets, water facilities, and the like.
Land of course, remains a scarce resource in Delhi, both for government and private schools, and that makes it harder to plan for new schools, however much they might be needed. AAP's plan to build 500 new schools is likely to run into this obstacle very soon, which will make it important to come up with some out-of-the-box solutions. For private schools, the cost of land is so prohibitive that most are unable to consider expansion, so perhaps the new government can consider double shift schools, shorter school hours, etc. for some of the existing schools.
While the requirements of government schools need to be addressed, it is also important to accept that private schools are here to stay, and view them as partners in the process of educating our young. In addition to increasing and improving infrastructure, and teacher availability, ability and accountability on the government side, there is an equally pressing need to encourage the opening of more private schools to meet demand. In the new climate of supporting reduction of bureaucracy, it is possible to consider, for example, simplification of the approvals process for schools? By some estimates, a private school operator needs 27 different clearances from various departments of government before it is possible to begin operation in Delhi - surely there must be some way to reduce those to a more manageable number?
We need innovative and creative ways of looking at the whole school education situation in Delhi. Business as usual will not do, nor will an antagonistic approach. The people of Delhi have spoken very clearly - they want change, and they want it across the board, in health, education, security, and employment. I look forward to seeing that change in the way the new government plans to educate our children.
It is heartening to note that unlike most other parties, the AAP manifesto for the Delhi elections made specific mention of education, although I find it hard to understand how much of what was included will actually be implemented. What is particularly worrisome is the implicit belligerence on display towards private schools - proposals to "monitor private schools fees" for instance, indicate an especially narrow understanding of the issues involved.
One of the first documents I would recommend Mr Kejriwal reads is the magnificent report prepared by the committee set up to review the Delhi School Education Act and Rules, 1973, chaired by the redoubtable Ms Shailaja Chandra, former Chief Secretary of Delhi. The committee, over a period of eight months in 2011, reviewed the existing situation and related documents, and met with a cross-section of stakeholders in the sector before making some very far reaching recommendations. These include, among other things, a proposal to remove the dreaded "Essentiality Certificate" that every school management must obtain before it can even think of starting a school, allowing private companies to start schools, and considering the recognition of unrecognised budget schools that perform well.
There are nearly 5000 schools in Delhi, of varying shapes, sizes, and types. The situation is complicated further by the fact that several agencies are responsible for overseeing their functioning - there are MCD schools, NDMC schools, Cantonment Board schools, and State government schools. (With the trifurcation of MCD, the erstwhile MCD schools have now been divided between the three new bodies.) Then there are the Kendriya Vidyalayas, the Pratibha Pathshalas, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas, and others. All these are government run; private schools are divided into minority and non-minority categories, and further into aided and unaided schools. Some schools are run by NGOs and charities, such as the Deepalaya school that has recently been threatened with closure because it cannot meet the yardsticks specified by the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009. And last, but not least, are the unrecognised budget schools that often run from one or two rooms in someone's house, and certainly meet none of the prescribed norms.
In terms of enrolment, roughly 50-55 percent children in Delhi attend some form of government school, while 40 percent go to private school. According to an MCD estimate (referred to in the committee report mentioned above), unrecognised schools accounted for about 1.64 lakh children; if correct, this comes to about 4 percent of total enrolments.
Every admission season reinforces that fact that there are not enough good schools available, although it is difficult to believe, as the media and some activists would like you to, that all schools under private management are exploitative, expensive and non-transparent. The truth is that many of them struggle to comply with very harsh regulations, including having to pay teachers salaries that match the exorbitant ones paid to government school teachers, and still provide a decent education. And because government schools tend to be a second choice for many parents, the supply of places in private schools is unable to meet the demand.
Unlike other States, government schools in Delhi do relatively well on the education quality front; initiatives taken by the SCERT some years ago have borne fruit, and the general rate of scholastic achievement has been encouraging. However, they too are unable to admit all the children who apply, and often function with overcrowded classrooms and not enough teaching staff. Infrastructure continues to remain a serious problem; new schools need to be built, while existing ones need immediate investment in facilities like blackboards, furniture, electricity, toilets, water facilities, and the like.
Land of course, remains a scarce resource in Delhi, both for government and private schools, and that makes it harder to plan for new schools, however much they might be needed. AAP's plan to build 500 new schools is likely to run into this obstacle very soon, which will make it important to come up with some out-of-the-box solutions. For private schools, the cost of land is so prohibitive that most are unable to consider expansion, so perhaps the new government can consider double shift schools, shorter school hours, etc. for some of the existing schools.
While the requirements of government schools need to be addressed, it is also important to accept that private schools are here to stay, and view them as partners in the process of educating our young. In addition to increasing and improving infrastructure, and teacher availability, ability and accountability on the government side, there is an equally pressing need to encourage the opening of more private schools to meet demand. In the new climate of supporting reduction of bureaucracy, it is possible to consider, for example, simplification of the approvals process for schools? By some estimates, a private school operator needs 27 different clearances from various departments of government before it is possible to begin operation in Delhi - surely there must be some way to reduce those to a more manageable number?
We need innovative and creative ways of looking at the whole school education situation in Delhi. Business as usual will not do, nor will an antagonistic approach. The people of Delhi have spoken very clearly - they want change, and they want it across the board, in health, education, security, and employment. I look forward to seeing that change in the way the new government plans to educate our children.
