Govt school education: Can’t it be any better?

The Karnataka High Court could not have put it across to the state government more strongly as far as educational facilities at government schools are concerned.

On Monday, the court made a serious observation that the government’s failure to provide basic infrastructure at schools is pushing people who cannot afford three meals a day, to send their kids to private schools.

The court has also referred to deficiencies in government schools such as lack of restrooms and drinking water facilities while hearing a PIL on the subject.

The observations are a stark eye-opener on the condition of government schools in Karnataka, considered relatively better a far as education is concerned in the country.

And what is more revealing is the fact that parents who hardly have the means to feed themselves and their children, are still prepared to make big sacrifices to send their kids to private schools rather than risk education at government schools!

It is pretty well known to everyone that private school fees are considered too high even by middle class families; so one can imagine the plight of poor families who do not hesitate to part with everything valuable to them just to make sure their little ones get the best education possible.

And why are the poor increasingly hesitant to send their kids to government schools? There are reports which claim that 28 per cent of high schools and 32 per cent of primary schools in the state lack access to clean drinking water despite the Jal Jeevan Mission being in place.

There are schools with roofs which leak and are on the verge of collapse where parents dare not send their kids fearing for their safety. And the fact that there are as many as 50,000 government schools in Karnataka goes to prove the magnitude of the problem the government is grappling with as far as basic educational facilities are concerned.

Education as is well known, is a fundamental right enshrined in the Constitution and so why are government schools not accorded the priority they deserve?

There are brilliant kids in poor families who can beat the best in the world but sadly, fail to make it to the top rung only because they do not get the right kind of encouragement and training at the schools they study. The few who make it, do so only because of exceptional character, grit and determination.

There are also issues concerning the teaching staff who need to get the required upgradation as far as teaching skills and adoption of new learning technologies are concerned. When the government has all the resources it needs at its disposal, what is hampering it from making the learning imparted at state schools, at par or even better than that imparted at private schools?

There are also institutions and corporates more than willing to lend a helping hand as far as improving government school facilities are concerned.

And so what seems to be lacking is a detailed plan to rope in more than willing stake holders and garner funds to improve the state of education in government schools in Karnataka. That does not seem to be an impossible task considering the hugely experienced and resourceful politicians the current government has on its side.

It’s essentially a question of prioritizing what needs to be given the most attention and education at government schools, no doubt should rank at the top of the list for the future of the young is at stake.