PRIVATE SCHOOL VS. PUBLIC SCHOOL IN INDIA

PRIVATE SCHOOL VS. PUBLIC SCHOOL

The title “Private School Vs Public School in India” envisages the preference of the parents while admitting their children in schools. In a certain way, the topics also tries to reflect on the construction and working of private and public schools established in India.

To begin with, let us try to understand what we mean by private school and public school. Private schools are those schools that are established by individuals without any financial aid or support from the government. They are run and administered solely by the individuals under a trust. Public schools on the other hand receive grants from the government and may be administered partly by the government and partly by the individuals that establishes the school.

Those were explanations and now let us discuss some important features of private and public schools. Though public schools are more or less same, but private schools exhibit great diversity in terms of the structure and means of education.

Public schools are mostly up to the secondary level, and are established in most parts of the country. Private schools on the other hand are concentrated near cities and towns and may offer education for primary level, secondary level or up to senior secondary level.

The quality of education received by the children in private schools is better than the public schools. This fact has been supported by a number of surveys, researches and various competitive tests where children from both private schools and public schools participate. But some public schools have proved to be equally efficient as that of accredited private schools. Therefore to award private schools full marks in the contest ‘Private Schools Vs public schools’ would not be totally right.

According to a number of surveys, in public schools teacher absenteeism is a major issue. Whereas in private schools, teachers are unlikely to remain absent during school days. Student attendance is also better in private schools compared to public schools.

School administration and management in private schools observes a very strict code. Since individuals run them, the control on the staff and faculties is very much in the hands of the administrators. In public schools, there is a lenient code as both staff members and the head of the institute are under the control of government.

These are some of the characteristic features of private and public schools. Every parent comes to this thought ‘Private School Vs Public School’ once the children reach the age to get admitted in the school. So far as parent preference is considered it is obvious that private schools are the priority for people in cities. In small towns and countryside, public schools are the only options.

SCHOOL CURRICULUM

SCHOOL CURRICULUM

Article on School Curriculum

School Curriculum and Student Concerns
Formal education in India allows for minimal changes and that too in the course curriculum or textbooks. For decades the popular education system continues to be unaltered, as the directives that come from some apex institutions have to be religiously followed. That makes the whole educational system rigid and hinders the growth and development of the student.

In the rapidly evolving technological era, a decade is a large time frame. The life style, the human conditions, the living environment can witness a great deal of changes. In order to cope up with the changing environment, other institutions have to allow provisions for these changes. The same applies for our education system also.

In the present era, we need the citizens who are more responsible, citizens who understand the gravity of such problems like global warming, pollution, depleting resources, experts who can go beyond nano technology and microeconomics, we need citizens who can contribute to the overall development of the society. This can only happen when the curriculum is designed to promote these concepts.

Often students are not happy with the curriculum. Most of the things taught happen to be too generic, which are of little help in any stage of life. Some of the concerns students share because of inappropriate curriculum are as:

• Information based curriculum
Many students share this concern that the school curriculum lays too much emphasis on information assimilation, rather than knowledge gathering.

• The age old content
The approved content is outdated and has little relevance in the present times.

• Meagre provisions for extra curricular activities
Though some educational institutes or popular schools do make adequate provisions to include extra curricular activities, still not much is done on this front.

• Conventional approaches
The curriculum also does not support new methods or methodologies of teaching. At times the teacher may come up with an unorthodox idea or solution to make the students learn new lessons, but there is very little he/she can do owing to the rigid nature of school curriculum.

These are some commonly found concerns that hinder the students from receiving the kind of education they need.

INDIAN SCHOOLS ARTICLE, ARTICLE ON INDIAN SCHOOLS

School days are unforgettable, inerasable and the inseparable experiences a person who has received the formal education lives with. You may forget your old colleagues, your previous job and the boss, but the enchanted memories of the school remain preserved in one of the corners of the mind.

Whose Perspective?
Previously I assigned a task – that of writing school experience to an education expert. When it was ready I realized that it presented a mature outlook and reflected the opinion and the vision of the expert and not the immaturity and innocence of the child. It was then I started interacting with children to find out what it means to be at the school. This excerpt presents a 360-degree view of the same.

School days are different for students in different classes. A child in third standard sees school differently than a seventh grade student. There are but some elements that are repeated by most of the children and students in different standards.

Early Mornings
A child in primary school wakes up early in the morning and is not very happy to go to the school. School for most is the confined area where children are forced by their parents to receive the formal education. This is the idea that prevails largely in the Indian subcontinent. Right now, we do not intend to go into the discussions as what makes the child feel imprisoned and caged in the classroom.

The treatment received by the students is differential and depends on a lot of factors, the prime being the kind of school. In India there are primary two kinds of schools, based on the administration. There are government schools, run by the state governments and there are private schools.

Private and Government Schools
Private schools are generally considered to be the better as the facilities are much better than those of government run schools. Private schools demand a high education fee and the popular the school the more is the fee structure. Affordability determines as what kind of education the child would ultimately receive. For high-income families, their children happen to be enrolled in the prime schools of India. Low-income families prefer their children to be taught in government schools.

“We Don’t Like It”
The child, whether it’s the one who goes to the elite school in the vicinity or the one who goes to the government school, both are unwilling to go to the school. It is worst for the former ones. The rules, regulations, competition, mentoring and more puts too much stress on the child. The classrooms present the stillness and the dullness in life. Instructions are given to the children in a tight and strict framework that can never be questioned by the child. The freedom of child is often impaired and the child is made to feel subordinate to the supreme authority – the school.

It is very hard, but children often do not complain. There is more than a smile when the final bell rings – may be it is the salvation.

School Picnic is a Different Story
However things are quite different when it is ‘no working day’. On picnics, events and celebrations the same child will be twice happy and overjoyed to be at school. There are many other extra curricular activities, but compared to the routine daily working days, they are much too less.

My Social Arena
The school is the complimentary of the neighbourhood so far as socializing is considered. Students usually mix up with few selected classmates and teammates. These small groups often have a number of things in common. As they grow together, they tend to assimilate more or less the same social values.

Children who study in private schools and those studying in the government schools often share feelings of status complex and dominance. The children studying in private schools generally feel themselves to be superior to those of government schools. This is a general observation marked through out India. Children are aware of this status differentiation.

All Those Ponderous School Walks
The school timings are from early morning 08 a.m. or 09 a.m. to late afternoon 02.30 p.m. or 03 p.m. On any morning you will find the children in neat and clean uniforms rushing with more than 4 kilo bags clinging on their backs. The best time during the whole exercise for the children is the recesses or the lunchtime.

One can argue that the schools and the adopted education system is not child friendly at all. The curriculum has been designed, especially for secondary and higher secondary classes and very little has been changed in the last so many decades.

Hindi, English and Hinglish
One another major issue is the language. Indian education system has stressed on the use of different languages for receiving the instructions. The language therefore becomes the medium and the children have to learn these languages. English has been approved to be the second language, which in fact has completely replaced the position of the first, which is Hindi. In private schools particularly, the medium is the English.

The dichotomy creates a problem at two stages; first during the education itself and second after the completion of the education.

The School Syllabi
The syllabus for secondary school examinations is fixed for all and is issued by the State Board or the Central Board of School Examinations. The syllabus more or less favours the students studying in the English medium schools. Since the medium of instruction is different, the child from private school, where English is given preference, faces no difficulty in the comprehension and examinations.

At professional level also, English is considered to be an asset. In cities and city centers where a lot of industries and service providers recruit candidates, the one who has a hold on English language has better prospects. Also, foreign agencies based in India make it compulsory for the employee to be able to understand and speak English.

STUDENT LOANS, EDUCATION LOANS, FINANCE STUDIES INDIA

STUDENT LOANS, EDUCATION LOANS, FINANCE STUDIES INDIA

Professional education is becoming more and more available as banks and financial institutions have extended their support to finance the education. In India many national banks award student or education loans to the applicants.

Education Loans: Education loans are provided by national banks and several other foreign banks and financial institutions. The concerned bank or agency provides monetary help and assistance and bears up to 90 per cent of the expenses incurred on education for a certain course.

Student Loans – Types: There are two types of loans provided by the banks – for studies based in India, and for students seeking admissions in foreign schools and universities.

For admissions and studies in India, the loan amount varies from 20,000 to 7.5 lacs. The loan amount is fixed as per the course of study. It can be availed for graduate programs and technical education.

Students who want to go abroad for studies, the loan amount is larger. There are banks that provide more than 10 lacs as student loan to finance the education.

Guarantor: Most of the banks just ask for a guarantor, who can be the guardian, parent, relative or even friend, as security for the loan amount. It is on the guarantor’s promise that the loan is sanctioned. The bank may also consider other factors and hasten up the process.

For studies abroad, the applicant must have some collateral security like fixed deposits or property whose worth is greater than or equal to the loan amount to be disbursed.

Documents: To avail the loan the students must provide to the bank necessary documents like marks sheet or certificate of the last qualified examination, admission certificate of the particular institute one has mentioned in the loan application, receipts of fee and other course expenditures, etc.

Margin and Rate of Interest: The margin is the amount that would be deducted from the loan amount for which the student has applied. Say the margin is 5 per cent and the amount is 5 lacs, then the amount disbursed would be 4.75 lacs. The remaining amount, which is 25,000 has to be contributed by the student.

The rate of interest varies and is generally above 10 per cent and below 14 per cent.

Repayment:
The repayment procedures have been made less rigid so that students do not feel reluctant to apply for the loan. Generally the students are asked to pay after six month or 1 year of the completion of the education or till they get a job, the time period not exceeding one year.

WHEN TO SAY NO TO CHILD, SAY NO TO CHILD

WHEN TO SAY NO TO CHILD, SAY NO TO CHILD

Even before a child is born, the parents are too eager to shower their love and care on the arriving guest. With the newborn in the family, a whole set of transitions takes place. It can be better described as one of the important phases in the lifecycle of a human being. The father and the mother, together they have to provide the child with all they can.

As the baby grows, it starts demanding. Children are very intelligent and respond quickly. They learn easily and when it is time to twist then know which way to do it.

A child hardly understands the difference between wants, desires and needs. He might ask for Santa Claus, the cycle the kid in the neighbourhood has, new toys and what not. Mrs. Priya says that her youngest kid wants all that the elder ones get and she has a hard time negotiating with the kid. That is one point where some children get spoilt as their parents fail to realize what is needed by the child.

When To Say No?
“Believe me, it is so awful and strange as my daughter begins to sob, when I say ‘No’ and she does not understand,” says Amrita. “I am myself confused at times as whether her demand is really needed or not.”

A child enjoys pampering the most. The baby just feels like giving orders, which should be obeyed and fulfilled by the subjects. Parents also like to pamper their children, but limits have to be drawn. A pampered child might get used to wishes and whims that are easily fulfilled by the parents and other family members.

‘Negotiate and negotiate hard’, that is the best advice you can have on parenting. The child must, even if it appears unacceptable to the child, learn to ask only those things which parents do allow. If the parent says no, then no it means.

After negotiations, if the child continues to insist then the parent has to say no and close the chapter as soon as possible. Even a little leniency can make the child feel that it is possible provided he or she keeps insisting. It becomes a habit and then starts affecting the behaviour.

Other Methods
One parent who has written to us from Pune says that she often negotiates by providing alternates. The child asks for a mobile phone and we settle on comic books. That way the child also gets something worth to have and the parent also manages to grant the wish of the child.