In connection with a public discourse about performance of private and government schools transpired by the recent HSLC result of 35.15% to 85.91% respectively, I want to furnish my personal observation which I believe is good for public welfare. The lament of the honorable Chief Minister over the poor performance of government schools is certainly a consensus opinion of the general public.
The bad news is poor performance of the government schools which is regretted. But the good news is till we have a future, God willing, to correct and redress our system and restore resilience as a walk up bell.
Characteristics of Private schools
The core values of the private schools are virtually:
1) A foundation with an objective of vision and a purpose.
2) Determined management with a spirit of commitment and sacrifice.
3) Recruitment of teachers with a principle of abiding rules despite low and meager salary and allowances.
4) A philosophy and purpose for God, generation, and society.
5) Dedication of teachers with a mindset of “work for food by teaching and fulfilling commitment.”
6) A challenge and vigilance as they are hired by the fees paid by the parents.
7) Private schools are disciplined to perform the job.
Unbelievably, most of the students in the private schools are the children of government teachers and government servicemen. Government schools are cheap and free with qualified teachers. But the simple syndrome of ‘cheap and free with unchallenged salary’ spoiled the game. The private schools will also die once government comes forward to pay the salaries of the teachers as much as government teachers get plus a mentality of ‘salary even without teaching.’ But the virtue of the private schools is ‘commitment with a purpose.’
Down on the road, in a decade, our land with the government will be in the hands of educated people from private schools; be politician, bureaucrats, civil authority, national workers, church functionaries, businessmen and even enterprising generation. Therefore, it is high time for our government to bring a drastic change into the system of education that would renovate government schools as well as maximize the competence of the private schools. In so doing, the question of employment problem is addressed when thousand educated youth are absorbed into private schools.
Secondly, education, be private or government, is a common subject of the public and government. The credit of high academic excellence will naturally go to the government. It is the pride and glory of our government if the high caliber of our youth as exchange scholars in various disciplines can embark and disembark in global avenues. It is rather an investment, if the government would come forward with adequate grant-in-aid to strengthen and accelerate the private schools for:
1. Subsidy to meet running cost of the schools
2. Equipments for teaching aid and learning backups
3. Scientific items and lab provisions
4. Environmental facility and conducive learning provision.
At the wake of public conscience, it is high time for the government schools and teachers to wake up and make a rededication to return to the job, work for salary and rebuild the broken wall of our generation.
The public, specially the private schools, hope the lament and commendation of the Chief Minister, Nagaland, made in Nagaland Post on May 25 would bring a timely remedy to government schools and a redemption to the private schools.
Dr. P. Dozo
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