A 14-year-old girl in Hyderabad recently committed suicide after teachers at the private school she attended allegedly humiliated her for not paying exam fees in time. It is alleged that her caste—she is a Dalit—was invoked to humiliate her. This was not the first time the child had faced the issue. Her parents, struggling to make ends meet, no doubt did their best as most parents do but the school chose to pressurise a vulnerable child for something beyond her control. Sadly, this is not an isolated incident with the state of Karnataka even mulling a law to take action against schools, especially when fines are collected for late payment of fees.
However, the prevalence of such behaviour on part of school establishments indicates that the rot cannot simply be legislated away. As states turn their backs on investing in basics such as health and education, the private sector has stepped in. In education, the aspiration for English-medium schools and the often-dire state of government-run schools have sent parents into the open arms of private schools, that have mushroomed with scant oversight.
Studies have, in fact, shown that the quality of education provided at these private schools are not even always better than that provided at government schools. Many of these are money-making enterprises that do not place the child and her well-being at the centre of their value system. While parents associations rally for fee regulation and more oversight, perhaps the question that ought to be asked is whether they should demand the state step in and provide viable alternatives to the private sector-run schools.
This is not to say that children at government-run schools do not suffer. However, pressure from citizens can make the state act. This cannot happen in private entities, and at present the private sector has a stranglehold on the education of our most vulnerable citizens. It is time for the state to act with foresight and invest in the future.