A tweet of Peoples’ Conference President Sajad Gani Lone on State Education in comparison with private tuitions in Kashmir Valley is not only surprising but also very stunning as he very unfortunately in a tweet on his twitter handle has said that quality education can’t be imparted in state schools and why to make education in private sector punitive. Good if private schools impart quality education but let Mr Lone not forget the fact that majority of the populations living below the poverty line in Jammu & Kashmir don’t afford education in private schools and as such education in private schools should not be allowed to flourish at the cost of growth and expansion of Government schools. While Government schools in Delhi and many other states have become the epicenters of quality education, the successive popular Governments of erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir state have failed to overcome the lapses in the working of Government schools to change them into epicenters of quality education. If according to Lone’s own assessment quality education can’t be imparted in Government runs schools then the greater onus lies on his own father late Ab Gani Lone who held the position of minister of state for education in early seventies and later to his successors as well. Since ministers of a popular Government are equally responsible for the announcement and execution of policy decisions Mr Lone himself is answerable to people for not insisting on change in policy decisions on school education to make Government Schools epicenters of quality education during his three and a half year term as a full fledged cabinet minister in the last popular Government of erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir state. Though people accord priority to quality education this time when mushroom growth of private schools has changed the priorities of education in Jammu & Kashmir but it is also an irrefutable fact that majority of the populations in both rural and urban areas living below the poverty line afford education of their children only in Government run schools but not in private schools.
While Government run schools promote right to education by fixing no criteria for admissions to children of both affluent and as well as poor and underprivileged sections of the society but private schools give admissions to children on selective basis with the sole criteria to bring in children of only affluent people on their roles. It is also an irrefutable fact that Private schools gladly accept even capitation fee from the people of affluent classes and as such higher paying capacity has become the only criteria for admissions in private schools. What matters the most is the fact that the pass outs of Government schools rising to greater heights in politics, civil services, judiciary and journalism can better talk on choices of schooling and private tuition than the pass outs of famed private schools and foreign educated people who rise to heights only because of being the products of hereditary politics. Let the heroes of merit and competition talk on choices and priorities of education but not the beneficiaries of hereditary Politics like Mr Sajad Gani Lone the head of the Peoples’ Conference.
Let Mr Lone not forget the fact that more efficient and well trained teaching staff is available only in Government schools and the incumbent Government headed by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha is doing it’s best to raise the standards of education by improving the work culture in Government run schools and focusing on increasing the enrollments. What matters the most is the fact that while Government run schools promote right to education by fixing no criteria for admissions to children of both affluent and as well as poor and underprivileged sections of the society but private schools give admissions to children on selective basis with the sole criteria to bring in children of only affluent people on their roles. It is also an irrefutable fact that Private schools gladly accept even capitation fee from the people of affluent classes and as such higher paying capacity has become the only criteria for admissions in private schools. What matters the most is the fact that the pass outs of Government schools rising to greater heights in politics, civil services, judiciary and journalism can better talk on choices of schooling and private tuition than the pass outs of famed private schools and foreign educated people who rise to heights only because of being the products of hereditary politics. Let the heroes of merit and competition deliver sermons on choices and priorities of education but not the beneficiaries of hereditary Politics like Mr Sajad Gani Lone the head of the Peoples’ Conference.
