Boots, buckles matter, not learning!

When education turns big biz, one can only pray and hope for the future of our kids. There was a time when schools and colleges were all about learning, teacher-student ties, lofty goals and career options.

These continue to be priorities no doubt but they are not all that really matter; everything from school uniforms and textbooks to pencils and scarves have to be of the prescribed brand and make and nothing else are now supplied to students as part of a meticulous marketing network from which the managements and biz outlets inevitably benefit while parents have to shell it out big from their pockets whether they like it or not.

Those keen on securing the best education for their kids, do not mind paying a bit extra for uniforms and textbooks but what’s worrisome is that with each passing year, this school-biz nexus is growing stronger and the prices are spiralling out of control.

While the rules in this regard are clear and say that schools can only list out the books and the patterns of uniforms and shoes which students have to use, what actually happens is something entirely different.

Schools tie up with outlets which make parents and their kids make the trip to their premises where measurements are taken and orders finalised. The amounts parents have to pay are sometimes one and a half times the market price or even more but no one is complaining for the kid’s future is all that matters to them and they would like to keep the school authorities in good stead.

And do they really have an option? It’s a loud no from most schools, and students who prefer cheaper uniforms or other merchandise from the market are sure to be looked down on, something most parents would do their best to avoid.

Here arises a troubling question: Do schools, mostly private institutions, have the right to impose their choices on parents and students when the norms like the Karnataka Education Institutions (Classification, Regulation and Prescription of Curricula) amended rules 2018 say otherwise?

Parents have enough trouble paying the staggering school fees running into several thousands and lakhs every year besides fulfilling other demands schools make like contributions to building maintenance funds which are essentially donations for securing admission.

Tuitions are a mandatory part of almost every student’s academics nowadays and so are costly guides, question banks and other supplementary educational material. And what difference does it make if a uniform of a different make is a shade paler or a shoe is of a different brand as long as it does not look out of sync?

One has to yet hear of the state authorities assigned the task of monitoring these issues in the thousands of schools spread across the city and state, making an honest attempt to get school managements to fall in line and make it easier for parents and kids.

Good education will continue to be out of the reach of the commoner’s kid if nothing is done to convince schools that the focus should be on learning and career building and not on inconsequential things.