As per a NITI Aayog report, between 2014-15 and 2024-25, about 94,000 government schools were closed or merged across India. This works out to 25 schools per day! Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh accounted for over 60% of closed schools. Government-aided schools reduced from 83,000 to 79,000, while private unaided schools grew from 2.88 lakh to 3.39 lakh. The reasons for closing the schools could be due to demography, absence/poor/ill-maintained infrastructure and basic facilities, a dearth of students, scarcity of teachers, parents and students, people’s preference for private and English-medium schools, transport issues and other reasons. By filling up the lacunae and providing basic and extra facilities, many private schools have exorbitant fees and hidden charges. Teaching-wise, some of the schools may be so-so, while others may excel. Those who can afford it (even by taking loans or by saving) send their children to private schools. They presume that the children are in good hands, but even these students may attend tuition classes or have tutors come home. One way to stop closing government schools is to mandate that the children of employees of Central and State governments and public sector undertakings enrol in these schools. But prior to this, the schools must be spruced up, amenities improved, modern teaching aids and experienced teachers provided, and sports encouraged, etc. Nominal fees should be charged. There should be no compromise in the quality and quantity of teaching, service and conveniences. In short, bring in professionalism to education. The influential parents could help improve the schools in different ways. When most people prefer government jobs and salaries for their children, who might have studied in private schools and colleges, then why not have the children study in government schools and colleges?
Sridhar D Iyer, Caranzalem
