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Thanks for your bumper September issue. The Educa-tionWorld-C fore India’s Most Respected Schools Survey 2010 is a great resource for parents to help them select appropriate schools for their children.
However I would like you to consider adding the parameter of ‘special needs education’. Though there is an increase in the number of children reporting learning disabilities, the great majority of schools — including those who have done well in your survey — ignore the learning needs of special children. It’s not good enough for schools to excel in academics and extra-curricular activities; they must become inclusive institutions where all children —inclu-ding those with disability — are given an opportunity to flower and grow. When you include this parameter you will be shocked to find that most top schools which pride themselves on their academic reputation are the ones which shut out children with special needs.
As a publication which advocates quality and inclusive education for all children, I am surprised by your non-inclusion of the vital parameter of special needs education. Please make good this lacuna in your next survey.
Sonali Mehta
Delhi
Fair & transparent
Congratulations to you and your team for putting together the September issue. It’s very impressive. The survey of India’s Most Respected Schools has been presented in a professional and competent manner.
I know some schools will be unhappy but I believe the survey has been conducted in a fair and transparent manner. Well done!
Trigunesh Mukherjee on e-mail
Critical omissions
The teacher-2-teacher column titled ‘Towards inclusion in school education’ by Abha Adams (EW September) is well argued and has definite merit. It was good to hear an experienced educator speak for the Right to Education Act when most are not in favour of its implementation.
However Ms. Adams failed to men-tion two critical points in her article : First, that Uttar Pradesh is not implementing the RTE Act and therefore Step by Step, Noida with which she is actively involved, will not be impacted. Secondly, Step by Step received concessionally priced land from the govern-ment. Therefore it is perhaps in a better position to absorb the additional cost of admitting poor children. Moreover I am not sure on what basis she has worked out 2 percent as the extra cost private schools will have to absorb. By my calculations, it will be much higher.
Despite the UP government opting out of the RTE Act, I look forward to Step by Step setting an example by providing 25 percent reservation for poor neighbourhood children.
Anonymous on e-mail
Abha Adams replies: First let me make clear I am not in favour of all the provisions of the RTE Act. Second, I am actively involved as a consultant with Step by Step School but function only in an advisory capacity. My reading of the situation is that it’s only a matter of time before UP works out the details of implementing the RTE Act, as all stat-es are legally obliged to implement it.
Re my calculations, the cost of including poor children until class VIII is 8/14 of the income of a school with pre-school and 12 sections — less than 2 percent per year. For schools offering classes I-X it is approximately 2 percent per year.
I urge all schools, not just those that I consult with or am on the board of, to open their doors to underprivileged children of the poor.
Deep problems
I read the Teacher-2-Teacher column of Abha Adams (EW September) with great interest.
It is no one’s case that the so-called better private schools in our country should not impart good education to children who are not economically well-off (the RTE Act mandates this now under s.12 of the Act), but there are some deep problems which cannot be wished away. The ground reality is that it is never easy for children from low-income socio-economic backgrounds to integrate and live like one happy family.
While the staff and students of so-called elite independent schools generally empathise with those not so fortunate, the problem often lies with children from less privileged socio- economic backgrounds who tend to have deep complexes and feelings of fear, inferiority and low self-esteem. These problems sometimes aggravate to such an extent that these children tend in extreme cases, to start despising their own backgrounds and parents. This problem is more severe in residential schools and a lot of time and effort goes in resolving conflicts between children.
I’m afraid I may come across as an elitist who has no concern for others, but I am basing my views on my experience of many years in a residential school. We will continue to do our best to integrate children at the micro level in our schools, but the dynamics of society cannot be wished away.
Moreover it’s not true that private school managements seldom promote empathy, as Ms.Adams alleges. We do care for the less privileged and ‘commu-nity service’, ‘sporadic fundraisers’, visits to cancer patients and old-age homes, which children of independent schools often undertake, do serve some good, even if they don’t solve all problems. Unfortunately ours is not a perfect world.
Praveen Vasisht
Headmaster, The Lawrence School,
Sanawar
Lives at risk!
Your editorial ‘opportunity to dislodge corruption monster’ (EW September) is bang on target. The Commonwealth Games Organising Committee is a den of corruption and vice, and CWG should be renamed ‘Corrupt Wealth Games’.
As in most such cases, corruption charges against high-profile committee members will never be proved as they have the backing of powerful politicians. Taxpayers money is being grossly misused and pocketed by dishonest officials. Moreover because of large- scale corruption, the quality of infrastructure and construction is being compromised. This is very dangerous as sub-standard and shoddily built stadiums and other facilities can put the lives of athletes in danger.
The widespread use of poor quality material, over-invoicing to several times the original price and other corrupt practices has brought the country into shame and disrepute.
Mahesh Kumar
Delhi
Revise tax exempt status
I am shocked to read in your Postscript item titled ‘Ill-advised coronation’ (EW September) that under the new management, Tata Consultancy Services has withdrawn from your annual teachers’ awards. What will become of the awards now? Have you found anybody else to sponsor them?
You are right about India’s techies — they are mean, greedy and selfish and majorly engaged in land grab under the guise of developing the IT industry. IT companies’ special income tax exempt status should be revoked immediately.
S. Bakshi on e-mail
Stand by for our annual TREE (teacher, researcher, edupreneur and educati-onist) awards — bigger and better — Editor
Parents, peers and play
Congratulations to the Education-World team for staging the Early Childhood Education Global Conference 2010 (EW August).
A common thread in the papers presented by Dr. Elanna Yalow, Prof. Jeremy Williams, Ashish Rajpal, Kavita Sabharwal and Lina Ashar was that parents and families have a significant role to play in the social and emotional development of the child in her early years. Parents should give unconditi-onal love to children. They should provide their basic needs and give quality time to each child. The school-family linkage is also an important aspect of early childhood education. Therefore school managements should involve parents in teaching-learning activities, and important celebrations such as sports day, annual day etc.
Peers also play an important role in helping children to develop social and language skills. The third important aspect is play. Playful learning makes children active, develops imagination and facilitates the social and emotional adjustment of children.
R. Suresh Babu
Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya
Chikkaballapura (Karnataka)
Provide contact details!
Reference your leisure and travel on Egypt (EW August). Since parents, teachers and students alike read EducationWorld, it would have been good if you had let us know how we can contact EF Educational Tours for details such as travel costs etc.
This feature has inspired me to send my children to Egypt. But it provides no direction.
Please include contact details in future!
James Arun
Bangalore
Check out www.eftours.com for details — Editor