The government of Jammu and Kashmir deserves appreciation for launching the ongoing “enrollment drive” whose noble goal supposedly is to increase the number of students at government schools. The initiative reveals the seriousness and concern of the School Education Department (SED) towards further improvement of the government schools ; it also reflects the gravity of the situation which has thankfully led to this outstanding move from the department concerned.
To make the best of the endeavour and to rekindle hopes of a bright future at government institutions for children, the execution should be carried out on a mission basis. Public confidence won, things will fall into line by themselves. Pertinently, an enrollment drive by the SED towards the end of 2020 across the J-K UT was very successful : reportedly more than 40000 children came as new admissions.
Conducting enrolment campaigns indicates that the SED has correctly diagnosed the ailment: roll decline and the threat of its depletion. Noteworthy are the major factors for decreasing admissions in the government schools, especially upto the lower secondary level. Analysts opine that we have an expansive network of government and private schools in every area — every town, every village and every habitation/mohalla across Jammu and Kashmir. In this situation, the school-going children of a particular habitation get unevenly distributed — mainly on the basis of quality education provided at a school. And it hits admissions at government schools.
Remarkably, the establishing of new government schools and upgrading the existing ones has employed lakhs of youth aside from upping the literacy rate. Yet, citing more private schools as the rationale for the less admissions at government schools is an argument in bad taste. Government institutions hold the promise of balancing the scale . Interestingly , the enrolment also declines at private schools purportedly because of the sky-high expenses—which parents allegedly fail to bear— or because of the dozens of these schools available in every habitation.
On one hand, the multiple number of private schools means a healthy competition for better performance and symbolizes progress in society. On the other hand, the rising number of such schools implies people have many options to choose .
Two, our education primarily focuses on getting a government job. Once gotten, we naturally heave a sigh of relief and with the passage of time begin to take things for granted. It is safe to state that this happens with almost all government jobs, including those of the government school teachers. So with no/little pressure to perform, the performance of government schools lags behind private schools — a situation badly affecting the enrollment there.
In case of private schools, the scenario is altogether different. The teachers , private sector teachers , find no reason to take things for granted: they realize that their job, though low paid, simply and plainly depends on their working capabilities. Consequently, they sweat their blood to yield the best results and so remain in their employer’s good books . Underperformance is a ticket out of the school.
You often hear people saying that when so and so government teacher was working at a private school, he/she was brilliant at teaching. But why does that teacher not perform satisfactorily at a government school now? The major cause is he/she feels no pressure to perform at this school. It is the pressure to perform that plays a massive role in pushing private schools ahead of their counterparts in the government sector.
Three, students at government schools are required to be directly admitted in the first standard whereas those of private schools are admitted in kindergarten (KG) classes, a preparatory stage for entry into primary education. In KG classes, students learn basics like alphabet and numbers, preparing them mentally for primary education.
But the children of government institutions are required to straightaway learn words, sentences and big numbers in the first standard. That they find very difficult to learn , leaving them weaker and backward in learning than pupils at private schools; resultantly parents hate government schools and withdraw their children from there, cursing goverment school teachers. The J&K administration needs to come up with the steps to regulate KG classes at government schools. Such classes are a key to lay a solid foundation for primary education.
Transfer—after two or three years —for teachers including the Reheber-e-Taleem /Ret pattern teachers of all categories, is paramount to attract admissions . The transfer will motivate ReTs to work with renewed interest and strength in the changed environment. Plus, it will provide parents with new teachers whose services they approve and trust at schools .
Believe it or not, the decades of stay at the same schools by ReT teachers has won for them public hate, wrath and mistrust ; also the underperformance ( real or imagined) of ReT-managed elementary schools has pushed people away from them. Thus, 90% people no longer are willing to admit their children at such places .Transferring ReTs is likely to prove an admission -friendly strategy ; also will improve teaching standards.
School administration necessarily need not be in the hands of a teacher who has never been transferred for decades together : the lack of administrative experience and exposure and expertise gained by working at different institutions, leaves such a teacher incompetent and unable to lead properly, patiently and wisely. The end result: conflicts, confrontation and underachievement at such schools.
A heavy work load — some 6/8 class daily by a teacher at the elementary level — compels the teacher’s low performance, putting students at a disadvantage. This in due course leads to declining enrollment.
The enrollment drive is sending a positive message across that the SED is capable and committed for doing the best for the well-being and welfare of people. But something different and more beneficial — in terms of teaching standards and facilities — is imperative at government schools to earn people’s admiration and their children’s admission.
( Author is RK columnist and teacher by profession. Feedback: [email protected])
