One of the paradoxes of K-12 education in India is that while the overwhelming majority of the public — including parents within the socio-economically deprived households — is desperate to provide their children with English medium or at least high quality English language education, several state governments or more accurately neo-literate politicos and bureaucrats within them, prohibit teaching of English even as a second language.
Driven by sub-nationalism and opportunities for bagging contracts and commissions for printing shoddy vernacular textbooks for captive markets, they have erected formidable legislative and procedural roadblocks against private initiatives in primary-secondary education, particularly promotion of English-medium schools. The common hurdles and speedbreakers that private educationists and entrepreneurs should anticipate, are set out hereunder.
1. In some states such as super sub-nationalist Karnataka, promotion of English-medium primary schools is prohibited by law and until recently teaching English even as a second language was prohibited in primary (classes 1-V) education. Ditto West Bengal under 34 years of rule (1977-2011) of the CPM (Communist Party of India-Marxist)-led Left Front government. Inevitably discretionary power to waive this prohibition is vested in the state government and can be purchased for negotiated consideration.
2. Municipal and local government licences necessary for establishing schools are almost wholly discretionary. Therefore bribes are routinely demanded by municipal corporation officials. For establishing greenfield English-medium schools, “speed money” demanded tends to be significantly greater because capital expenditure is usually higher. That’s neta-babu interpretation of socialism.
3. Apart from site location permission, sanctions from electricity, water and sanitation authorities are required. Be prepared to pay above and beyond the official prices to avoid delays and to make periodic pay-offs for uninterrupted supply. Despite this it’s advisable to install a 24x7 captive power generation facility.
4. A no-objection certificate (NOC) from the ministry of education is mandatory before power, water and other connections are sanctioned. Don’t make the mistake of commencing infrastructure construction before actual issuance of NOC.
5. With urban land prices having shot through the ceiling, brave education entrepreneurs or ‘edupreneurs’ are prompted to promote traditional British-style boarding or international schools in the countryside. In several states including Maharashtra and Karnataka, agricultural land can be sold only to agriculturists. Special permission is required from the state government for purchase of agricultural land for non-agriculture purposes. This paternalistic legislation was designed to further enrich the rural rich and artificially suppress rural land prices, but that’s another story.
6. For residential schools, reasonable access to large cities is advisable. Qualified teachers are impossible to find in rural areas and professional middle class teachers prefer to work in urban habitations.
7. Check out the power of teachers unions. In Kerala, powerful teachers’ unions begin making demands as soon as the foundation stone of a greenfield school is laid and are known to dictate school management policies.
8. While choosing the site, especially for co-ed and residential schools for girls, research the local law and order situation. In any case, budget for payment of ‘protection money’ to the local police.
9. Most state governments have appointed admission and fees committees chaired by retired high court judges to supervise the admission processes of private professi-onal education colleges and to adjudicate ‘reasonable’ tuition fees. Check out if the jurisdiction of these committees is applicable to schools.
10. For establishing a greenfield school, apply for affiliation and construct it according to the norms of pan-India or international exam boards such as CISCE, CBSE, IBO or IGCSE. Standards and syllabuses of the country’s 30-plus state examination boards are poor and slipping.