COIMBATORE: The many private schools in the country that carry the word ‘public’ as part of their name would not be able to hold on to it if the draft National Education Policy were to come into effect in its current form. The draft policy states that private schools cannot use the word ‘public’ in their names in any communication, documentation or declaration of status.
This change will be effected by all private schools within three years (of implementation of the policy), reads the draft prepared by the committee headed by ISRO’s (Indian Space Research Organisation) former chairman K Kasturirangan. Public schools have been classified as those that are funded by the public — government schools (including ones run by any government body) and government-aided schools.
There are many private schools, especially those affiliated with the CBSE that host ‘public’ in their title. According to CBSE affiliation website, 6,089 of the 21,606 schools under their ambit use the term. In Tamil, 183 of the 971 schools hold that record.
Welcoming this provision, Association of Management of Private Schools (AMPS) of Tamil Nadu’s General Secretary ATB Bose pointed out that private schools using the word public is only allowed in India.
However, CBSE Schools Management Association Secretary P Ashok Shankar is of the opinion that it is unnecessary as everyone knows which schools are run by the government and which ones are funded privately. “The name is not going to make any change. If they do so, there are thousands of schools which will have to change their name and registration,” Shankar said.