Page 18 - EducationWorld June 2020

Education News

chief minister has favourably impressed the state’s influ- THEY SAID IT IN MAY
ential bhadralok (refined middle class) with her public
education reforms of the past five years. Therefore, some “With the existing digital divide, expanding
monitors of West Bengal’s unruly political scene believe online education will push the digital have-
this fiery woman leader who famously extinguished the nots to the periphery of the education system,
CPM (Communist Party of India-Marxist), which mis- thereby increasing inequity in educational
ruled the state for 34 years consecutively (1977-2011), outcomes.”
almost a decade ago, may pull it off again.
Baishali Mukherjee (Kolkata) Protiva Kundu of the Centre for Budget and
Governance Accountability on how the Covid-19
pandemic has exacerbated the education inequities
TAMIL NADU of Indian society (scroll.in, May 5)
Dire financial condition “It is important to put this on the table: this

virus may become just another endemic
amil nadu’s 18,000 private unaided and 16,500
budget private schools (BPS) are experiencing virus in our communities, and this virus may
Tan unprecedented financial crunch. Because of never go away. There is some magical think-
the Covid-19 lockdown — education institutions in the ing going on that lockdowns work perfectly
state have been shuttered for over 80 days — they have and that unlocking lockdowns will go great.
not been able to collect fees from parents. A majority Both are fraught with dangers.”
of them are set to default in paying remuneration for Dr. Mike Ryan, WHO emergencies director in an
April-June quarter to their nearly 3 lakh teachers and interview with BBC (May 14)
1.5 lakh non-teaching staff.
Moreover, with the state’s AIADMK government “By referring the matter back to a commit-
having issued a directive (April 20) ordering all pri- tee led by the home ministry, the court has
vate schools and college managements not to compel violated all principles of natural justice. It has
students or parents to collect advance tuition fees for created a new evil. It implies that the home
the forthcoming academic year 2020-21 during the ministry can be plaintiff, judge, executioner,
lockdown period, private independent schools and espe-
cially BPS are stretched to meet salaries, infrastructure, jury in its own cause. It will not be held to ac-
maintenance and bank instalment payments. count when it abridges the liberties of Indian
“We don’t have the cash flow to pay our teachers’ citizens.”
salaries or to provide basic necessities at school. With Dr. Pratap Bhanu Mehta, former vice chancellor of
some difficulty, we paid the salaries for March but after Ashoka University, on a petition in the Supreme Court
that, we have not been able asking for restoration of 4G access in Kashmir (Indian
to meet salary or mainte- Express, May 16)
nance expenses. Ours is a
budget private school levying “We have underfunded our public health
total fees of Rs.14,000- system and starved it of resources for a
20,000 per year, depending long time, a problem that we cannot now
on the economic condition of fix overnight. I can only hope that we do
parents. We collect term fees not forget this mistake once the pandemic
in advance but due to the passes.”
sudden closure of schools, Dr. Satyajit Rath, former scientist, National Institute of
we couldn’t collect fees for Immunology, on the rising number of coronavirus
James Sathya Raj the third term ending April. cases (Hindustan Times, May 20)
Moreover, 25 percent of stu-
dents are yet to settle the fees of the previous year,” says
James Sathya Raj, principal of the state board-affil- “The Chinese might grow even more
iated K-12 St. John’s Matriculation Higher Secondary prosperous and powerful, and yet China
School, Chennai, which has 2,000 students mentored by shall never attract the range of friends and
100 teachers on its muster rolls. admirers in other countries that their great
The dire financial condition of private schools is ex- rival, the United States, has, and will.”
acerbated by the prolonged neglect of the state govern- Ramchandra Guha, historian and author, on why China
ment to pay private schools their accrued dues. Under will never conquer the world (ndtv.com, May 29)

18 EDUCATIONWORLD JUNE 2020