The founder of Jan Ki Baat, Pradip Bhandari spoke to Mr Umesh, a father concerned about the education and future of his son, Abhishek. Abhishek is currently enrolled in a school in the state of Haryana but faces a tough future, says Mr Umesh. One of the teachers in his sons school is asking for 20,000 rupees as school fees. Abhishek is in Class 10th and will not be able to complete higher secondary education if this unreasonable demand is not met. The teacher had also refused to give Abhisheks mark-sheet to him. When asked whether he had spoken to the districts authorial bodies and filed a complaint, Mr Umesh said he was unsure about where to go with his concerns.
The battle for greater accountability is not easy. The education sector in India is governed by a complex set of rules that allow some say force private schools to operate as charitable, opaque trusts or societies rather than for-profit businesses. There is no external regulator, and government efforts to intervene are at best piecemeal and at worst, misguided.
Delhis Education Minister Manish Sisodia has made one such attempt. Two bills in the Delhi assembly talk about fee regulation by a government committee, an almost guaranteed way to ensure corruption.
are the fee increases in line with facilities?