Merger of government schools initiated by the School Education Department to overcome staff shortage and further the prospects of quality education is though good for improving the standards of education in government schools but it won’t bring change in standards of education in government schools overnight. What matters the most is the fact that the merger of schools will consequently increase both the enrollment and as well as teacher-pupil ratio. Low enrollment in schools meant less burden of teaching on teachers and improved enrollment in government schools will consequently increase the burden of teaching on teachers in government schools. Merger of government schools is obviously an attempt to ensure accountability of government teachers who are better qualified and also better trained for classroom teaching. So enrollment drive in government schools is not only for shifting the attention of people from admissions at private schools to admissions at government schools but this drive is being also carried forward to bring about rationalisation in the teaching staff at government schools for the purpose of raising the standards of education in these schools. Since better infrastructural and teaching facilities can make government schools more attractive than the private schools, the focus of the school education department would shift to infrastructural and teaching facilities after completing the rationalisation of teaching staff for the purposes of improving the standards of teaching in government schools. Never forget that growth of government schools is good for the growth of private schools also as otherwise private schools would also loose the reputation of being attractive learning centres in the wake of facing no competition from government schools for years and decades together.
Even rise in enrollment won’t make any difference if the work culture in government schools is not developed the way it has been developed in some leading private schools of both Kashmir valley and as well as Jammu division. So not only enrollment but accountability of teachers is also imperative for improving the standards of teacher in private schools.
Growth of institutions lies in competition and lack of competition leads to monopolisation of one institution over several other institutions. Government teachers though better trained and better qualified fail to perform because of the fact they are not part of a competitive work culture. Had the school education department developed work culture in government schools in recent years the standards of education in government schools would have been almost similar to the one found in private schools. Even rise in enrollment won’t make any difference if the work culture in government schools is not developed the way it has been developed in some leading private schools of both Kashmir valley and as well as Jammu division. So not only enrollment but accountability of teachers is also imperative for improving the standards of teacher in private schools.
