Fee-for-all in unaided schools

But fee hikes and proposals for the same are being greeted with the ubiquitous protests and skepticism, despite school authorities8217; claims that it has the approval of Parent Teachers8217; Associations PTAs. The flashpoint at Radhakrishnan Vidyalay, which saw the education officer stay the Rs 150 hike this Monday, isonly one such instance. For any school management, this is one opportunity to go in for the kill; well-meaning ones will stay within the limit, those who don8217;t want to, won8217;t.

Not that the state government hasn8217;t ensured that there are enough safeguards. Any fee hike proposal, complete with documentary evidence supporting its necessity, has to be sent to a task force, which will take the final decision. No proposal will be considered unless it has the entire PTA8217;s approval.

Therein lies the catch. On one hand, school authorities are vociferous that it is difficult to convince everyone. As a South Mumbai school principal put it: 8220;A few rotten eggs spoil the whole thing, they block any good initiative.8221; But on the other hand there are parents who complain that in several schools PTAs consist of representatives hand-picked by the authorities.

School managements of course do not agree. After all, the rule for PTAs this season is election and not selection. But what is followed in several schools appearsto be selection first, and then election, thereby defeating its raison d8217;etre.

Educator and member of a North-East suburbs Parent Teachers8217; Association Prof Jitendra Shah explains: 8220;Education per se is supposed to be the responsibility of the state. When that is not the case, the least that can be done is to ensure that education does not turn into a commercial business.8221; Citing instances of several once-prestigious schools, which have since gone downhill, Prof Shah says the entire process of hiking fees needs to be transparent. 8220;A prestigious school in the western suburbs was taken over by a political entity. Since then, there have been illegal admissions, donations, and teachers are being harassed,8221; he adds.

With many other schools charging huge donations as well, the question is where all the money they earn as of now is going, he says. 8220;PTAs should be made representative so that parents know how the money is being used. Accounts should be made public,8221; he says.

If accountability is suspect,yet another pervading feeling is that education is becoming increasingly expensive by the day. No one disputes the fact that teachers deserve a higher pay scale. But the shifting of burden to parents has evoked consternation. According to Prof Shah, a middle-path could be cross-subsiding education, so that those who can afford are charged high fees, to make up for free seats a policy followed in the engineering faculty now.

Moreover, several of these schools half of the over 1,100 schools in the city are unaided had at one point of time applied for grant from the state government. Any additional burden on aided schools is absorbed by the government. But then the state came up with a skewed policy of not giving grant to English-medium schools, never mind the demand for the same. Without government aid, only a high fee can meet the increase in expenditure.

Unaided schools also claim that quality always comes at a price. As M P Sharma, principal of G D Somani School, Cuffe Parade, and also president ofBrihanmumbai Subject Teachers8217; Association, says: 8220;These schools are for a certain category of people. Only those who want to join here will join.8221; There is a better student-teacher ratio, more attention, more facilities in unaided schools. And it is only a telling commentary on the state of BMC-run institutions that parents would rather pay through their nose in unaided schools than send their children there.

Even then, the fee hike has raised several questions, starting with the extent to which PTAs are involved in decision-making. Incidentally, the fee hike will make up only for the current increased expenditure on salaries. From January 1996, the teachers have to be paid their arrears, a figure which runs into several lakhs. School managements are still working out ways to meet this expenditure.

Considering government aid is completely out of the picture, how schools will work around the problem without upsetting parents is anybody8217;s guess.

Deepa A is a reporter with The Indian Express. Shecovers education