CURE TO EXTORTIONS BY EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
With reference to my analytical paper dated 25 Feb2010 where I explored a new angle that is “Extortion By Educational Institutions”, now I hereby I recommend some remedies to the problem as talking about a problem goes in vain if no solution is offered or at least hinted. It is not necessary all cues suggested here are absolutely correct, many changes or amendments may be advised or many new ideas may come forth & it is welcome.
1. Eshtablishment of some community schools for unto 10th standard will reduce Extortion to a great extent. Some community schools (not religious but social community) are doing great work, but society has remained inactive largely in this regard. High net worth people can easily come forward & their investments will return back to them with dividends as school business always generates high returns & there is not botheration to take as an appointed committee by them would oversee the affairs. In the process society will have educational institutions which will provide education at reasonable costs & those which are leaching will be deprived of the freedom to extort & put up with a competition. Some brake on their monopolistic trade will come into existence & their free run to exploit will be curbed.
2. Takeover of Pvt. Schools by Govt is not a solution, but Govt can place them under public watch committees headed by DM, SDO, BDO, CO, or Corporation or Municipal Heads, or public watch committees may be appointed by them (the Govt Authorities) as mentioned above, they will report to court of law or notary public or above Govt Authorities if some institutions are practicing irregularities (watch committees will not control or govern the institutions, only be reporting bodies, will have no direct say in the affairs of the institutions) .
Most urgent in this regard is formulation of a stringent Regulation Policy by Govt to regulate Extortionist Institutions. In the absence of a stringent Regulation Policy the extortion by educational institutions is free of any reins.
3. It is solely profiteering, bloodsucking trade in the garb of social service, a business based on sheer exploitative motive. Above all it is an emotional exploitation by Educational Institutions as parents want to give good Education (good stands for costly) to their wards and children want it too or they will blame parents, in future for depriving them of good education. From small towns to cities, from primary level to higher to vocational level the story is same, game of money making, leaving the society depleted & bleeding the families. Most pathetic side of it is 90% of families/parents fall under this extortion & get depleted, become financially exhausted. Only the other 10% well-off families can manage their finance well after meeting their children’s educational expenses.
4. Entry Exams for all jobs, (not based on reputation of Ed. Insts.) like IPS, IAS, Bank Officers (POs), I. Tax (In Indian context) or other Govt. jobs where merit based exams select best guys.
No campus or off campus recruitment based on negotiations, it is origin of all sins, it must be not only banned but also made punishable offence, except at senior, experienced based levels. If all best guys of the country can get the best of jobs (prestigious, merit & skilled based jobs through competitive entry exams then why the best guys from best institutions, for example MBAs are so frightened to face selection exams? Why big corporates pick (rather bait) at their whim a few guys & brag, see, we paid for him/her 16 millions, it becomes a news, runs on newspapers, TV for days, we cant even perceive the obnoxious side of it, talk proudly about it and most socking is that the concerned institute immediately raise its fee steeply, just watch the vibrations go what far or the vicious circle, one or two students of an institution get millions just by pick & choose method and thousands suffer for it, not only thousands but whole country, whole lot of upcoming meritorious boys & girls, who will have to opt for a motor mechanic job or a cycle repair job or a call centre or some outsourcing job, as they cant afford & we are just oblivious of these meritorious millions who are doomed because of this draconian educational system & hilarious about one or two guys who have been bought by wads of money. It is absolutely like a lottery winning mentality, when we hear somebody in neighborhood has got a big ticket (very common, always happen) we also start gaming, without realizing how bleak is the chance of winning a lottery. And do you know why the companies, corporates do it! For manifestation (Advertisement), look here, how big & worthy we are as we can pay this whooping sum for this fresher raw guy.
How dangerous it is now you must have analyzed. So pick system must be banned, if any corporate want the very best MBA guy, arrange a toughest entry exam, put the guy through rigorous interview & group discussions, mark them all & take the one with best marks. It will at least bring a parity to be judged by merit & most important put check on the vicious circle & bring down the cost of education & to a competitive level, no elitist (high cost, high nose, outlaw) approach pass by any more. Touch stone is there: “Death the Leveler”.
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5. Entry exam for any Educational Institutes based on merit, not donation, from 3rd Standard, it will kill off the vicious exploitative circle that they have created. Only 30% donation based entry may be allowable, 70% on merit only, not free but at a prescribed cost. The 30% who can afford entry & can pay higher charges will level off things, also most importantly it will cross subsidize the ones with merit and both sections of the society would not be deprived, a level ground will be laid & the merit which a society needs most will have an opportunity, a big opportunity, a 70% opportunity. Institutions must publish their fee charts, covering all expenses so that families can decide their affordability & capacity to meet them & can make a free choice depending on their financial positions. No hidden charges or any other undeclared charges should not levied later on or the course fee should not be enhanced later on, on the pretext, saying that there has been a price hike so we have to raise fee, yes hikes can be done but it must be according to the prevailing price index.
6. Open purchase of books & items in the market must be allowed without any restrictions, most Private Institutions (Though they run by the name of Public Schools to fool the people) supply their own items so that they can charge Rs150. whereas the market price is Rs50/- only. It is monopolistic, a trade that goes against law. If such exploitative measures are found in use by the educational institutions, they must be booked for this; school transport business is one such grey area, where a lot of money laundering is done by the institutions. Why not general public are allowed to ply vehicles for schools? They can ferry students of different schools located at the same area at a cheaper rate, also a competitive school transport business will come into being, I as a banker came across such proposals, but school authorities gave a vehement no, no, on the excuse that it would not be safe for the students. Why the private school transport operators would not be safe, when asked no satisfactory reasons were given, after all to be in the business one has to provide with responsible service or the one will find oneself soon out of business, actually the real reason is, that they don’t say “school transport business” is very lucrative for the institutions, so how can they allow others to take it away from them.
7. It should be mandatory that publishing of total cost of education or course in a clear-cut way in newspapers etc (they put page after page ads daily boasting how good they are but never say about costs involved). And those who will get entry by merit must not be forced to pay hidden cost (Educational Institutes are masters in this art), after all merit is merit. And all the items supplied by the schools must be given at a price that is lower than the market price as they purchase in bulk, it is a must, govt authorities must supervise this, that if any unlawful trade (extortion) is being done by the Educational Institutes.
Boarding & residential charges are used for milking the parents, they are great milking cows for them and they must be open about these costs. School hostels are not hotels, food must come cheap here, it must be a no profit no loss system, it should not be a trade for them. I saw in one school per student boarding profit is Rs200/- per month, this shows they (Educational Institutions) have umpteen ways to milk & all in the name of a holy cause, for a cause beyond CONTROVERSY.
S.K.DAS. (SUBHRO)
ARARIA (INDIA).
Revised 25/04/10
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