school education

What seems right for us may not seem right for others since it depends on perspectives from different points of view.  Parents want lesser fees but want education in top schools. School managements wants more return on their investment. So, these are two different perspectives. They would not converge on the same terms since their interests are different.  As long as the school management has reasonable expectations, conflicts would be less. But again, the definition of ‘reasonable’ varies. If a school is run without much issues, it means the management knows the art of running schools very well. Schools, colleges…

The education sector, especially schools, are generally viewed by the public as the goose that lays the golden egg. Similar to other key critical sectors necessary for the society at large, like hospitals or colleges, this misconception is prevalent about schools as well. Most individuals leading such institutions are so caught up in ensuring the next generation’s education that they do not bother about the noise outside. There is no lobby either, like in the other established industries, to ensure that no harm is done by policies and decisions proposed by the government. Education is a basic right as per…

This is the tale of a father who feels bad that his daughter has to suffer due to the greed of private schools. Let me share how I got involved with the school fee issue; and how it impacts us parents. My daughter is in the third standard. We were extremely shocked to realise that access to her online classes was blocked by her school on August 5, 2020. She has studied in this school right from Nursery. We soon learnt that many private schools have blocked online education to some kids. Almost all parents have been paying whatever schools…

The upwardly mobile Indian middle-classes are willing to pay more for private school education for their children. By how much though, has long been a matter of contention between them and private school managements. Lower and middle-income families, for whom their children’s annual school fees -- like house-rent -- is a substantial portion of their income, find it beyond their means. Even if they may not have fought it, most of them have complaints against the existing fee structure. COVID-19 brought them to the streets.  At best, the pandemic left many with income-cuts. At worst, they lost their jobs. With…

In a world where we produce enough food to feed everyone, 821 million people – one in nine – still go to bed on an empty stomach every night. Even more -- one in three – suffer from some form of malnutrition. Inspired by Sarabjeet Singh of Shimla, I thought of starting something similar on a very small scale in our residential society, Akme Encore, in Kundalahalli. I sent out a video of Sarabjeet's work on our community WhatsApp group and called for volunteers. Around 6-7 people came forward but we were clueless about what to do next.  To gain…

As schools struggle to adapt to the new classrooms, it is the children who are paying the price Pic: Sandeep J Gupta It is a strange question for five-year-old Arya to ask his mother - “How many meetings do I have today?”.  But we live in strange times and my friend’s son still cannot wrap his mind around the fact that he is expected to sit in front of a computer from 8.30 am to 12.30 pm for his classes or what he calls "meetings". His mother, Anitha Anand, a physiotherapist, doesn’t have answers either. And she is not the only…

When Bengaluru schools started online classes in June, many opposed it citing the lack of laptop access for large sections of students, health concerns etc. Soon after, the state government banned online classes for primary school children altogether. Shukla Bose, Founder and CEO of the non-profit Parikrma Humanity Foundation, however opposed the government ban on classes, even though her own students come from deprived backgrounds. Parikrma Foundation's schools cater to over 1800 students from slums across Bengaluru, with the aim of providing quality education and helping the children break out of poverty. At the time the government banned online classes,…

  City may face water crisis by September Inconsistent southwest monsoon, especially at the Cauvery catchment area, may lead to water scarcity in Bengaluru. BWSSB (Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board) sources say that the city's water needs can be met only till September, due to poor inflow and plummeting water levels at the Krishnaraja Sagara (KRS) dam. This too would be possible only if the government does not release water into canals for irrigation. Currently, KRS holds only 9.34 TMC of water, as against 30.12 TMC last year. Since Mysuru, Mandya and other areas too depend on KRS, water…