Thought-provoking
I am a regular reader of EW. Your cover story ‘Private School Fees: Beware Government Regulation Trojan Horse’ (EW June) was insightful, thought-provoking and encourages constructive dialogue.
Your Trojan Horse metaphor rightly highlights that even well-intentioned government fees regulation can have unintended consequences. It will stifle institutional autonomy and level standards of private schools downwards. I wholly agree with you that tuition fees should be privately negotiated between parents’ associations and school managements.
Reshmi Nair
Mumbai
One-sided narrative
Your cover story (EW June) is a one-sided narrative. It downplays rampant, arbitrary fee increases and exploitation of parents by private schools and offers flimsy solutions. You dismiss parental anxiety of 20-30 percent annual fee hikes as a mere “supply-demand problem,” without acknowledging the financial toll it imposes on middle class families.
Moreover, you warn that government fees regulation will disincentivise “edupreneurs,” but conveniently ignore that some of them are profiteers. Even courts have found many instances of schools overcharging and diverting funds to non-academic purposes. Education cannot become a goldmine for private schools.
Dr. Asha Krishnamurthy
Bengaluru
You have the option of free-of-charge government schools —
Editor
Much needed spotlight
Your Editorial ‘Retest collapsing cities managers’ (EW June) shines a much-needed spotlight on one of the most urgent challenges of our time — reversing the decline of urban infrastructure.
I fully support the compelling case made for professionalising city management and instituting specialised skills training, performance assessment, and stronger accountability frameworks for civic engineers and managers. To halt the collapse of our cities, we must put well-qualified and trained urban planners and specialists in charge, and demand data-driven, long-term planning.
Mahendra S.
Mysuru
Welcome directive
Your Karnataka Education News ‘Pre-primaries target’ (EW June) was informative. As a parent, I welcome the government’s directive for all preschools to be formally registered. Many preschools are being run unauthorisedly from home basements and ill-ventilated sheds. If preschools formally register and follow a stipulated set of guidelines, it will boost the quality of early childhood education.
However, I don’t agree with the idea of engaging an independent private authority to monitor the process. Instead, the state government should take the entire process online for effective and transparent monitoring. I believe this way we can ensure quality and accountability from private preschools.
Priti Jagtiani
Bengaluru
Timely reminder
Thanks for your well-written Eyewitness Report ‘Monumental enduring tribute’ (EW June). Congratulations to OP Jindal Global University, Sonipat for establishing and curating an imaginatively conceptualised Constitution Museum to commemorate 75 years of adoption of the Constitution of India.
As the author says this isn’t just a museum; it is a living academy that actively fosters understanding of India’s constitutional journey, the hard work and efforts of the framers of the Constitution that empowers new generations to protect and renew it. In an age when civic education is disappearing from school curricula, this museum is a timely reminder to children of the importance of cherishing our rights and freedoms.
Kudos again!
Brinda Kapoor
Delhi
Access precondition
Your Expert Comment essay ‘AI-driven learning: An urgent imperative’ (EW June) made interesting reading. Author Yogi Kochhar has ably articulated the benefits of AI-powered technologies which can customize and individualize learning experiences, offer students real-time feedback, and free educators from mundane administrative tasks.
However, with a majority of schools in rural India lacking functional computers and internet connectivity, it’s far-fetched to imagine AI transforming education in rural schools. Ensuring equitable access to technology is essential for realising the full potential of AI in education.
Malini Choubey
Gurugram