Editorial
Large-scale nationalisation of primary schools
A stride in the right direction
The government move to nationalise more than 26,000 primary schools in three phases, bringing more than 100,000 teachers under the umbrella of government pay scale has been widely welcomed. Previously, the teachers of private primary schools were only paid the government approved basic salary and not much else. This decision, if implemented properly will have addressed a longstanding demand of teachers who have been demanding for years that they receive benefits along the lines of government-owned schools. As per declaration, the government will nationalise MPO-listed schools from January 1. Non-MPO registered non-registered, community and government-funded NGO-run schools from July 1. The third phase of nationalisation is due to commence on January 1, 2014.
The plan is undoubtedly a positive move and should address most demands of the thousands of teachers nationwide. This step comes in the backdrop of a series of moves to increase enrolment of students in primary education and keep the country on the path to meeting a key millennium development goal. Much has been done in primary education during the tenure of the present government. With enrolment up to nearly 99% -- a jump from about 87% in 2005, that goal is very much within reach. Substantial resources have been allocated to recruit human resources in schools. These include teachers, headmasters, assistant teachers and staff. All these efforts were concrete steps to man and equip the pre-primary sections that were introduced in some 57,000 schools. Despite some initial hiccups new textbooks have been printed and distributed free of cost to primary schools.
Yet, a long way to go in terms of imparting quality education to our children at primary level. Although the data looks good on paper, many schools do not have the requisite infrastructure in terms of proper classrooms, furniture and fixtures. These are serious issues that need to be addressed if we are to overcome the problems associated with quality education.
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