Private schools demand donations, exploit teachers
Parents are being fleeced and teachers exploited while private schools are exploring ways and means to avoid admission of students under Right to Education (RTE) Act in the district.
No school is issuing application forms to students from economically backward families in the neighbourhood. They are reluctant to share any information on the RTE Act. Even if parents procure application forms from the education department, private schools are not accepting them.
They turn down by saying that the admission process is over and there was no use applying. They also frighten parents that admission in all schools would be over soon so they should try other schools as soon as possible.
All private schools in the district, which are used to only fleece parents in the form of either donations to trusts floated by them or development fees for the school itself, are reluctant to admit 25 per cent students for a meagre fees — sans any donation.
Some of the schools are bold enough to extort up to Rs 35,000 as fees itself as they adopt Central syllabus and do not come under the purview of the state education department.
Another allegation against schools is that despite extorting exorbitant amounts in the form of tuition fees, development fees and donations, they exploit teachers by paying little as salaries. As trained teachers are scarce, most of the teachers in these schools are parents themselves.
As the admission process is nearing completion, parents are busy admitting their wards to schools of their choice.
Their choice depends on either proximity or quality. So, they end up paying whatever the school authorities demand. Some of the parents are scouting for schools, where the donations are comparatively less.
There are 69 aided and 225 unaided schools under the state syllabus scheme in the district. There is no count of Central syllabus schools as they register with Central boards and hence do not care for either the state education department or the district administration.
District level officers feel they are blessed if they are invited as guests in such schools for annual day or other celebrations.
MLAs, MLCs and MPs generously issue recommendation letters to parents urging the school authorities to reduce the amount of donation.
No school is issuing application forms to students from economically backward families in the neighbourhood. They are reluctant to share any information on the RTE Act. Even if parents procure application forms from the education department, private schools are not accepting them.
They turn down by saying that the admission process is over and there was no use applying. They also frighten parents that admission in all schools would be over soon so they should try other schools as soon as possible.
All private schools in the district, which are used to only fleece parents in the form of either donations to trusts floated by them or development fees for the school itself, are reluctant to admit 25 per cent students for a meagre fees — sans any donation.
Some of the schools are bold enough to extort up to Rs 35,000 as fees itself as they adopt Central syllabus and do not come under the purview of the state education department.
Another allegation against schools is that despite extorting exorbitant amounts in the form of tuition fees, development fees and donations, they exploit teachers by paying little as salaries. As trained teachers are scarce, most of the teachers in these schools are parents themselves.
As the admission process is nearing completion, parents are busy admitting their wards to schools of their choice.
Their choice depends on either proximity or quality. So, they end up paying whatever the school authorities demand. Some of the parents are scouting for schools, where the donations are comparatively less.
There are 69 aided and 225 unaided schools under the state syllabus scheme in the district. There is no count of Central syllabus schools as they register with Central boards and hence do not care for either the state education department or the district administration.
District level officers feel they are blessed if they are invited as guests in such schools for annual day or other celebrations.
MLAs, MLCs and MPs generously issue recommendation letters to parents urging the school authorities to reduce the amount of donation.
Some parents are using the letters to only secure a seat for their wards, as the schools do not compromise on the amount.
According to government rules, aided schools can collect Rs 175 as tuition fees and Rs 500 as development fees.
In unaided schools, the total salary paid to teachers should be divided by the total number of students to arrive at the fees amount. They can collect Rs 600 as development fees. However, none follow the rules.
Further, unaided schools exploit teachers. Primary school teachers should be paid a minimum of Rs 6,800 as monthly salary and high school teachers Rs 8,800. However, not many schools match this figure.
There is a district level committee, with the deputy commissioner as president, to eradicate the menace of donations in schools.
But, its function stops at a customary annual meeting with school authorities and a warning that no schools should collect any donations.
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