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LETTERS |
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LETTERS |
Schools
Of Distress The students and parents are currently in distress thanks to threats of
agitation ("Under The Damocles' Sword", SPOTLIGHT May 16). The various student
organizations including that affiliated to Maoists have threatened they would target
private schools, where children of most middle class parents study, unless they give in to
their demands of slashing down fees. How justifiable is this demand is a matter of debate
but this movement is certainly going to hurt the parents and children most. Any
disturbance in their academic calendar will mean invaluable loss of time and money. Madan Shakya Urge
To Destroy The negative mentality seems to prevail in contemporary Nepalese society.
Instead of focusing on their positive contributions, many people are accusing private
schools for charging exorbitant fees ("Under The Damocles' Sword" SPOTLIGHT May
16). Consequently, student organizations have threatened to physically harm these schools
unless they roll back their prices. This is sheer madness. How can you force all private
schools to close down when only a few of them may be charging higher than what they should
be charging? Besides, what is the method of determining who is charging exorbitantly?
Everywhere in the world private schools are expensive. It is because they provide quality
education in a conducive academic environment that allows the students to foster their
talents and skills not only in academic disciplines but also in other attributes of life
like sports and arts. Had the public schools been able to deliver, no parents would have
admitted their children in private ones. Though charges of commercialization are true to
an extent, it cannot be used as an excuse to destroy the system. In the present world of
globalization and liberalization, whether it is health or education, commerce creeps in
every aspect of human life from cradle to the grave. The notion of welfare state was
developed to ensure that the state would provide basic services to its citizens free of
cost. Can Nepal do so at present? I am afraid not. When the state is not in a position to
deliver, private entrepreneurs should take the lead. The flourishing of private schools in
Nepal is mostly due to their efficiency in delivering quality education. The need of the
hour is to monitor whether these schools are delivering facilities that are proportional
to the fees they charge. If yes, then nobody should be complaining. Pankaj Rijal Exploitation
of Parents It is because the private schools know that parents have no alternative, that
they charge exorbitant fees ("Under The Damocles' Sword", SPOTLIGHT May 16). The
allegations that they charge high fees are fair and true. But the manner in which some
student organizations are using it to justify their violent tendencies is despicable. We
live in a civilized world of 21st century. If someone has genuine grievances there are
legal path to seek redress. If these student organizations care for the future of students
and parents, why don't they file cases in court against certain schools that are charging
exorbitantly? Of course, they need to present proofs of that. Let the court of law decide.
Why engage in violence? It is also high time the private school entrepreneurs to
introspect. Jagat Rai Academic
Concerns Your cover story "Under The Damocles' Sword" (SPOTLIGHT May 16)
quite rightly pointed about the contributions of private schools in the country.
Definitely, without the private schools, the education in the country would have become
outdated. Unfortunately, there is a tendency among various quarters to paint all private
schools with the same brush regarding them as nothing more than profit-driven, merciless
butchers. Parents have been willingly admitting their children in private schools. The
middle class and lower middle class families have all sent their children to private
schools as much as possible. If some of them send their children to public schools, it is
not out of choice but compulsion. Surely, the fees at private schools are higher. But that
is to be expected. Quality comes at a price. But the fees charged by majority of private
schools seem reasonable. Lakhan Bista Hidden
Cost It is true that private schools charge more money than public schools. But
private schools do so because they have to sustain on their own ("Under The Damocles'
Sword" SPOTLIGHT May 16) whereas public schools receive funding from the government.
In fact, a large portion of taxpayers' money goes into funding the public schools. And
they are clearly not efficient as shown by their results. But because it goes through
taxes and all people only blame private schools of charging high. It is time to educate
masses on the efficacy and necessity of private schools. Karuna Gartaula SARS
Sorrow The tourism sector that was beginning to breathe a lot easier after the
initiation of peace process has once again been hit — this time by viruses
("SARS Surprise" May 9). The spread of SARS virus has severely hit the tourism
of the Asia Pacific region. Nepal is no exception. Though it is not affected by the
disease till now, the sentiments of tourists who are not keen to venture out of their
homes has hurt it. Coming at a time when the country is celebrating golden jubilee of the
first ascent of Mount Everest, the disease could not have come at more inopportune time.
Hopefully, the disease will be controlled soon and it will be business as usual. Pratap Gurung |
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