A fair deal for parents, students

School admission has been a topic much in the news in recent times not least due to the shenanigans of certain school authorities to rake in the shekels.

Time was when school admission was a mundane affair with parents who failed to secure admission of their offspring to a prestigious school reconciling themselves to the fact and seeking the next best option.

Many factors have led to the reversal of this trend with parents now fighting tooth and nail to get their children admitted to the so called posh schools in the big cities.

The rapid transformation of the education set up, the rat race to keep up with the next door neighbours, the desire to be part of the “in thing” and above all the fierce competition have all taken their toll on the establishment of learning as well as with all other facets of life with the onset of liberalisation.

True, even in the past a parent boasted with unabashed pomposity the identity of the school of his or her offspring, but today they have to be extremely lucky to be in such company. In short the education edifice too has got caught up in open market ‘free for all’ where the highest bidder reaped the fruits.

The outcome is a devalued and distorted picture of education where school authorities gave more prominence to mammon rather than upholding the dignity of a noble endeavour. Diverse rules and regulations were brought into play which were unheard of in the past to qualify for school admissions not least of which are fat donations in aid of some school project which may or may not have been in the pipeline.

Harried parents were driven from pillar to post seeking certificates and endorsements of Grama Sevakas and other functionaries to meet the requirements of school authorities with even electricity bills and water bills coming into the equation. The introduction of an area rule forced parents into tutoring their children to lie before the inquisitors, the first lesson of the child in school life.

It is in this light that one should view Monday’s Supreme Court ruling which endorsed the new guidelines on school admissions which offer a fair chance for children of the average citizen to enjoy the fruits of a good education.

The implementation of the new circular is to be monitored by the Presidential Secretary in the capacity of a Competent Authority. Hopefully, this should mark the start of a new chapter in school education, just as free education did all those years ago.

According to the stipulated guidelines for new admissions, 50 marks out of 100 will be earmarked for assessing the child’s intelligence and aptitudes, 40 marks for parental consideration and 10 marks for brother-sister category.

Special bonus marks will accrue to offspring of past pupils and members of the Security Forces, with the occupation of parents too coming into the equation where children of graduate parents will be credited with 15 marks.

It would be interesting see the response of the school authorities to the new guidelines. It is common knowledge that certain well known schools in the cities have become fiefdoms of their principals whose doings have often been exposed in the media.

Therefore, the new guidelines may not be to the liking of some with their integrated past pupil network and managerial boards who would prefer the status quo to remain.

It is therefore incumbent on the authorities to ensure that the new guidelines are implemented so that parents would henceforth not have to endure hardships to secure a school of their preference for their children.

After all, education is a right of every child whose future should not depend on how much his or her parents can dole out to fatten the purses of school authorities.

With the implementation of the guidelines in the hands of the Presidential Secretariat one hopes that close tabs would be kept on the admission process and every child receives a fair deal.