Day in and day out we hear about claims of quality education from private schools both missionary and non missionary but never ever we have asked them that why private tuition has become as much an unavoidable necessity for the students of private schools as it is for the students of government run schools. Students of government run schools are forced to go for private tuition obviously due to poor quality of teaching in these schools but why students of private schools are more desperate to join tuition centres when they are getting quality education in their schools. So tuition expenses of the are doubled and consequently the parent feeds both the private schools and as well as the private tuition centres now popularly called “coaching centres”. While it remains a mystery that whether the students pursuing education in private schools excel in examinations due to quality education in these schools or better coaching and guidance at the coaching centres, both the private schools and as well as coaching centres claim the credit for the success of the toppers of 10+2 examination and NEET tests held annually for selection to medical and engineering courses. Both the private schools and as well as the coaching centres spend huge money over their advertisements on news channels and leading newspapers just to create a fake impression about their contribution in the success of the toppers of both 10+2 examinations and as well as NEET tests and intention behind such advertisement campaigns is obviously to commercialise the basic education system in Jammu & Kashmir.
The private schools have taken the judicial course against some decisions of “Committee for Fixation & Regulation of Fee of Private schools” just to monopolise the basic educational system in Jammu & Kashmir. More powers to “Committee for Fixation & Regulation of Fee of Private schools” and extension of it’s jurisdiction of intervention to coaching centres would reduce the intensifying practices of institutional blackmailing in the private education sector and improve system of accountability in both the private schools and as well as the coaching centres in Jammu & Kashmir.
Though for regulating the performance of private schools a statutory body headed by a retired high court Judge called “Committee for Fixation & Regulation of Fee of Private schools” is in place, but this statutory body has not been authorised to oversee the working of coaching centres also. While the school education department overseeing the working of coaching centres shows flexibility in probing with the public complaints against the teaching practices of both the coaching centres and as well as the private schools, the “Committee for Fixation & Regulation of Fee of Private schools” is imposing some commendable decisions to streamline the working of private schools. The inaction from the school education department against both the coaching centres and private schools is on one hand spoiling the school education system but on the other hand the “Committee for Fixation & Regulation of Fee of Private schools” is trying it’s best to make private school managements accountable one way or the other. Had the “Committee for Fixation & Regulation of Fee of Private schools” not enforced a decision of it’s own over the transporation charges during the lockdown period on private schools , the parents would have been forced to pay the transportation charges even for the last year’s lockdown period. Shockingly the private schools have taken the judicial course against some decisions of “Committee for Fixation & Regulation of Fee of Private schools” just to monopolise the basic educational system in Jammu & Kashmir. More powers to “Committee for Fixation & Regulation of Fee of Private schools” and extension of it’s jurisdiction of intervention to coaching centres would reduce the intensifying practices of institutional blackmailing in the private education sector and improve system of accountability in both the private schools and as well as the coaching centres in Jammu & Kashmir.
