Much ado about nothing
Sobhanund Seeparsad
Editor of News On Sunday. Did university studies in the UK and India. Holds an MA , BA (Hons), BCom, PGCE, PCCGE, Diploma in Journalism (IPI-Zurich). Worked in Nairobi and Mumbai. Was chief Sub Editor Indian Express Group of Papers in 70s. Author: Effective Notes on Milton Paradise Lost BK IX (1963); Granper Rakont Nu Enn Zistwar (1998). Also acted in many short and feature films, including popular TV serial C'est La Vie. Tells a folk story in Bhojpuri on MBC radio daily. By Sobhanund Seeparsad
Published on 25th April, 2008
A lot of unnecessary fuss is being created around the closure of three private secondary schools because of non-satisfaction of criteria as laid down in GN 57 regulation. The authorities are justified in taking the action they have, says Jwalaprasad Kallee, educationist and former PSSA inspector.
“It is true, GN 57 regulation, passed years ago, lays down that five or more students are enough to run a school. However, this provision has long been overlooked and violated. In 1982, following directives from the IMF and complied with by the then Government, 18 PSSA schools were closed with school population falling below 150. Some 102 teachers were made redundant. Government justified the measure by saying the schools were not cost effective. The country was going through an unprecedented economic crisis and the economy badly needed a serum to infuse life into it,” he adds.
Schools that are forced to close down have no one else but themselves to blame for, says Kallee. All private school managers are repeatedly reminded and advised by PSSA to carry out improvements in infrastructure, provide educational and recreational facilities to attract students, and thus preventing the school population from falling. Many fail to comply. Those who choose to take the request seriously have found themselves almost at par with State schools. Their School Certificate and Higher School Certificate results are as good as or even better than those of State schools.
“It's such schools that are sure to survive because they mean business and are always prepared to invest in the name of education. These managers keep high the banner of private secondary schools and are assured of a long life. In fact, continuous improvements and innovations are key words for existence in this fierce and competitive education climate. There's no place for the sluggish and the dullard. This is the immutable law of nature. Managers who have invested big need to be compensated and those who have thrown advice and caution to the wind need no pity,” Kallee says.
Kallee also points out when a school closes down, the students are transferred to other nearby institutions while the managers receive a compensation as per agreement with the Ministry of Education. Teachers who reckon long years of service, or are nearing retirement, and who have contributed to SICOM pension scheme, can expect some form of relief. However, teachers with five or six years of service or a little more, always end up in dire straits .There is precedent to this.
“In 1982, for instance, when the 18 schools closed down, the 102 teachers went jobless. The then government adamantly refused to help them. It turned a deaf ear to their woes. It was only in 1983, when Armoogum Parsuramen was given the Education portfolio, that their cases were reviewed and they were redeployed,” Kallee says.
He thinks in the present crisis that involves only three schools, the Minister should be able to find a solution for the teachers if he sheds of his hard-line stance and adopts a more flexible and humane Parasuramen attitude and approach.
Schools that are forced to close down have no one else but themselves to blame for, says Kallee. All private school managers are repeatedly reminded and advised by PSSA to carry out improvements in infrastructure, provide educational and recreational facilities to attract students, and thus preventing the school population from falling. Many fail to comply. Those who choose to take the request seriously have found themselves almost at par with State schools. Their School Certificate and Higher School Certificate results are as good as or even better than those of State schools.
“It's such schools that are sure to survive because they mean business and are always prepared to invest in the name of education. These managers keep high the banner of private secondary schools and are assured of a long life. In fact, continuous improvements and innovations are key words for existence in this fierce and competitive education climate. There's no place for the sluggish and the dullard. This is the immutable law of nature. Managers who have invested big need to be compensated and those who have thrown advice and caution to the wind need no pity,” Kallee says.
Kallee also points out when a school closes down, the students are transferred to other nearby institutions while the managers receive a compensation as per agreement with the Ministry of Education. Teachers who reckon long years of service, or are nearing retirement, and who have contributed to SICOM pension scheme, can expect some form of relief. However, teachers with five or six years of service or a little more, always end up in dire straits .There is precedent to this.
“In 1982, for instance, when the 18 schools closed down, the 102 teachers went jobless. The then government adamantly refused to help them. It turned a deaf ear to their woes. It was only in 1983, when Armoogum Parsuramen was given the Education portfolio, that their cases were reviewed and they were redeployed,” Kallee says.
He thinks in the present crisis that involves only three schools, the Minister should be able to find a solution for the teachers if he sheds of his hard-line stance and adopts a more flexible and humane Parasuramen attitude and approach.