Excellent articles with opinions form the stalwarts. But in VORTEX is the the UNwillingness of the government to resolve the imbroglios
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NEW DELHI: This year's nursery admissions have been a picture of chaos so far. The number of seats in private schools was anyway limited and the new 25% quota for the economically weaker section and up to 20% quota for the management simply ate into the share of the general category.
This probably explains why Madhu and Pramod Kumar from Kalkaji could not find a seat for their three-year-old son despite applying in 23 schools.
Shelly Verma from Vasant Kunj has still not been able to admit her daughter though there are nearly 10 schools in her neighbourhood. The problem is going to spiral if government does not create good quality schools in the city to provide an alternative to parents, say educationists.
"Too much experimentation has been done with nursery admissions, which has resulted in this situation. There is indeed a gap between demand and supply of seats. So, we need to have nursery classes in all government and central schools. This was mentioned even in the Ganguly Committee report. This problem is going to persist until we increase the number of seats," said Ashok Ganguly, former CBSE chairperson and also the chairperson of the high court-appointed Ganguly Committee that had recommended the point-system for nursery admissions. Hinting at a public-private-partnership model, he added, "Government should inculcate the attitude and culture of quality education in their schools. They can in fact open nursery schools on their lands that can sustain on their own through fees as parents are ready to pay."
Nursery admissions were never a smooth experience for parents, but the 100-point system was beginning to stabilize. But with the introduction of right to education this year, the admission policies were modified and the schools got a free hand to keep 20% seats for its management besides 25% EWS quota without increasing the existing number of seats. As a result, the number of seats for the general category shrunk to half. Sadly, the infrastructure available, or absent, in Delhi government or MCD schools never attracted parents, who could pay for their child's education.
Professor Yash Pal, scientist and educationist, who also headed the Committee to Advise on Renovation and Rejuvenation of Higher Education, said: "Mixing of people from different strata is good for education but government needs to provide seats. Most schools in Europe and America are run by government and very few are private. Even our government schools used to be so good in the 70s, but now, nobody pays attention."
Professor Deepak Pental, former vice-chancellor of Delhi University, also called for good schools backed by government. He said, "Now there is going to be a hue and cry. We have a big battle at hand. When we had implemented the OBC quota, it was over a period of three years and the total number of seats was increased. The government should also have more schools with better monitoring."
Like parents, some experts also felt that the government lacked the will to set things right. This is the major reason why government and MCD schools still do not have enough teachers or even tables and chairs. "Government succumbs to the lobby of private schools as they themselves send their wards to these private schools. When they can spend Rs 77,000 crore on Commonwealth Games, why can't they also spend to open good schools of their own? For the benefit of everyone, government should act swiftly," said J S Rajput, former director of NCERT.
Private schools, on the other hand, say they cannot increase their number of seats without multiplying their resources, which will escalate the cost of education. Plus, setting up a school requires Rs 20-25 crore or even more and it's not easy to get land from the DDA. "Property prices are so high that it's not easy to create another building to accommodate more children. The last time DDA had auctioned off land to a school was four to five years ago in Dwarka. Besides, too many children in the classroom affect the quality of teaching. A teacher cannot give attention to the needs of every child," said Manju Bharat Ram, director, Shri Ram Schools.
She added: "Why can't government improve their schools? If there is a rule that the children of bureaucrats would got to government schools only, their condition will definitely improve."
http://www.facebook.com/l/4f656Mw1xUdeUCC_shZTP8ghClQ;timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Not-a-problem-of-plenty-but-quality/articleshow/7470739.cms
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