PPP IN EDUCATION IN RAJASTHAN
NEW DELHI: Thirty academics, educationists and activists have signed an open letter to the Rajasthan chief minister, Vasundhara Raje, explaining to her why they think relying on private parties to fix problems in school education is a bad idea. They begin by stating that the draft Policy for Public Private Partnerships in School Education 2015, posted on the state government's website for comments, "is misguided" go on to list the reasons why.
1. "It is based on faulty premises"
"The policy appears to be formulated on the assumption that government-run schools are by definition incapable of providing good quality education, inefficient and incapable of innovation. Both current research and grassroots experience paint a different picture," they write. The letter reminds that "private schools do not automatically deliver quality education. In fact vast numbers of them do not" and that as examples of what the government can achieve in education if it has the will, stand the Kendriya Vidyalayas. Multiple studies compare the learning achievement levels of governments school kids unfavourably with those of private school ones but the letter points out that "there is considerable evidence that private schools fail to outperform government schools, in which, as in government schools, the demographic and income background of students is controlled." They cite findings of the study by the Azim Premji Foundation in Andhra Pradeshthat states, "contrary to general perception, fee-charging private schools are not able to ensure better learning for children from disadvantaged rural sections as compared to government schools" and the global DFID review of the functioning of private schools that they say, "similarly highlights the ambiguities entailing the true effects of private schools."
"The draft policy on PPP is silent on the question of equity in the educational system. Past research suggests that the greatest risk in an educational system with a high reliance on private providers is accentuation of inequalities and loss of social cohesion. This risk cannot be ignored," says the letter dated July 9..
The group also challenges the popular view that private schools are more innovative saying, "The 2015 UNESCO Global Monitoring Report states that worldwide public schools may have more scope to be innovative with the curriculum while private schools are more wedded to parent demands for good examination results," says the letter.
"Given what we know about the clear connection between access to resources for education and learning outcomes, the large number of children out of school in Rajasthan, and the facilities gap in the state, it is unclear why the government of Rajasthan seeks to argue for lowering input costs. One of the key reasons why our education system is underperforming is the extremely low levels of investment in the public education system. Furthermore, we would like to bring to your notice that the expenditure made by the state government in elementary level of education is little above 3% of Gross State Domestic Product and per-student expenditure by the government is much less in Rajasthan than in other states. At a time when only 7.4 % of schools in Rajasthan comply with the provisions of the RTE Act- what is called for is a massive additional investment in the schooling system in the state and not a false feeling of fatalism that change is not possible," says the letter.
2. It violates other laws, policies
The second argument is that it is likely illegal. "It ...runs counter to the Indian Constitution and domestic law, the 86th Amendment of the Constitution and the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 that makes education up to the elementary level a responsibility and legal obligation of the state government. It represents a retreat from the obligations assumed by the state government to ensure to the children of Rajasthan a legal right to a good quality education to be provided by the state," they say. The state's performance in delivering education has been hopelessly low. Using data from District Information System for Education -- the only system tracking with varying success the compliance to the RTE Act -- they point out that "Rajasthan has the highest number (in absolute numbers) of out-of-school-children in India, ranks fourth among the Indian states with respect to use of child labour." "As per the recent Socio Economic and Caste Census, 2011, Rajasthan has the highest number of illiterates in the country. Its transition rate in secondary education is likewise below the national average." Privatisation, say the authors of the letter, will not help Rajasthan perform better on any of these parameters; they believe that this policy signals an abdication of responsibility; where the state should've done much more, it is preparing grounds for doing even less.
The proposed policy "violates the provisions of the RTE Act in several ways." It seems to propose charging fees for one of the PPP models while the RTE Act clearly mandates that elementary education in government schools will be free. "The policy proposes that the medium of instruction will be determined by the private entities whereas the RTE Act states that the medium of instruction at the primary level must be the mother tongue. The proposed policy also leaves it to the private entities to provide teaching and non- teaching staff and determine the affiliation of schools. All of these form a part of the state responsibility as per the RTE Act. The RTE Act clearly provides that all teachers must be trained and that state has the responsibility of training all the untrained teachers within five years. The policy is silent on the issue of teacher training," says the letter. School Management Committees -- the first layer in the monitoring mechanism put in place by the RTE Act and crucial for the "micro-level" management of schools, doesn't even get a mention. "The proposed policy lacks scope for community participation and has no provisions for the larger engagement of the community and civil society within education processes."
The authors also observe that privatisation "runs contrary to established national and international human rights law." The last two reports of the UN Special Rapporteur on Right to Education, made to the General Assembly (September, 2014) and Human Rights Council (June, 2015) have both seriously discouraged states from either relying on private players for education, funding private players or even letting them operate without proper regulation. "Indeed, a resolution adopted by the UN Human Rights Council, which was supported by India in Geneva last week recognized that growing privatization and commercialization of education constitutes a danger to the realization of the right to education. Thus, the policy of the government of Rajasthan runs counter to international human rights law and to the stand taken by the Government of India in the international forum," says the letter.
3. There's a "dangerous lack of detail" with respect to regulation, standards, pre-requisites
The authors have noted "a dangerous lack of detail" in the draft and fear the blanks left will "lead to corrupt practices and poor quality." "For example," they write, "the policy provides that handing over of schools to private entities on a first come first serve basis and not necessarily on the basis of proven ability to manage schools, efficiency etc. There seems to be a total lack of transparency in several key aspects such as selection of schools, identification of children, methods of appraisal of PPP proposals and standards to be followed," they write. Making just about everyone eligible to run a school without vetting also "makes it hard to understand and monitor what is being agreed upon."
4. It fails to learn from past experience
"By stressing that the fees paying and fees free students will be taught in the same classrooms, the policy opens the students to discrimination in terms of access to school facilities," says the letter. And observing that "no educational system in the world in history has ever ensured universalization of education through reliance on private providers," they write, "there is no reason to believe that Rajasthan can be an exception to this historical trend."
1. "It is based on faulty premises"
"The policy appears to be formulated on the assumption that government-run schools are by definition incapable of providing good quality education, inefficient and incapable of innovation. Both current research and grassroots experience paint a different picture," they write. The letter reminds that "private schools do not automatically deliver quality education. In fact vast numbers of them do not" and that as examples of what the government can achieve in education if it has the will, stand the Kendriya Vidyalayas. Multiple studies compare the learning achievement levels of governments school kids unfavourably with those of private school ones but the letter points out that "there is considerable evidence that private schools fail to outperform government schools, in which, as in government schools, the demographic and income background of students is controlled." They cite findings of the study by the Azim Premji Foundation in Andhra Pradeshthat states, "contrary to general perception, fee-charging private schools are not able to ensure better learning for children from disadvantaged rural sections as compared to government schools" and the global DFID review of the functioning of private schools that they say, "similarly highlights the ambiguities entailing the true effects of private schools."
The group also challenges the popular view that private schools are more innovative saying, "The 2015 UNESCO Global Monitoring Report states that worldwide public schools may have more scope to be innovative with the curriculum while private schools are more wedded to parent demands for good examination results," says the letter.
"Given what we know about the clear connection between access to resources for education and learning outcomes, the large number of children out of school in Rajasthan, and the facilities gap in the state, it is unclear why the government of Rajasthan seeks to argue for lowering input costs. One of the key reasons why our education system is underperforming is the extremely low levels of investment in the public education system. Furthermore, we would like to bring to your notice that the expenditure made by the state government in elementary level of education is little above 3% of Gross State Domestic Product and per-student expenditure by the government is much less in Rajasthan than in other states. At a time when only 7.4 % of schools in Rajasthan comply with the provisions of the RTE Act- what is called for is a massive additional investment in the schooling system in the state and not a false feeling of fatalism that change is not possible," says the letter.
2. It violates other laws, policies
The second argument is that it is likely illegal. "It ...runs counter to the Indian Constitution and domestic law, the 86th Amendment of the Constitution and the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 that makes education up to the elementary level a responsibility and legal obligation of the state government. It represents a retreat from the obligations assumed by the state government to ensure to the children of Rajasthan a legal right to a good quality education to be provided by the state," they say. The state's performance in delivering education has been hopelessly low. Using data from District Information System for Education -- the only system tracking with varying success the compliance to the RTE Act -- they point out that "Rajasthan has the highest number (in absolute numbers) of out-of-school-children in India, ranks fourth among the Indian states with respect to use of child labour." "As per the recent Socio Economic and Caste Census, 2011, Rajasthan has the highest number of illiterates in the country. Its transition rate in secondary education is likewise below the national average." Privatisation, say the authors of the letter, will not help Rajasthan perform better on any of these parameters; they believe that this policy signals an abdication of responsibility; where the state should've done much more, it is preparing grounds for doing even less.
The proposed policy "violates the provisions of the RTE Act in several ways." It seems to propose charging fees for one of the PPP models while the RTE Act clearly mandates that elementary education in government schools will be free. "The policy proposes that the medium of instruction will be determined by the private entities whereas the RTE Act states that the medium of instruction at the primary level must be the mother tongue. The proposed policy also leaves it to the private entities to provide teaching and non- teaching staff and determine the affiliation of schools. All of these form a part of the state responsibility as per the RTE Act. The RTE Act clearly provides that all teachers must be trained and that state has the responsibility of training all the untrained teachers within five years. The policy is silent on the issue of teacher training," says the letter. School Management Committees -- the first layer in the monitoring mechanism put in place by the RTE Act and crucial for the "micro-level" management of schools, doesn't even get a mention. "The proposed policy lacks scope for community participation and has no provisions for the larger engagement of the community and civil society within education processes."
The authors also observe that privatisation "runs contrary to established national and international human rights law." The last two reports of the UN Special Rapporteur on Right to Education, made to the General Assembly (September, 2014) and Human Rights Council (June, 2015) have both seriously discouraged states from either relying on private players for education, funding private players or even letting them operate without proper regulation. "Indeed, a resolution adopted by the UN Human Rights Council, which was supported by India in Geneva last week recognized that growing privatization and commercialization of education constitutes a danger to the realization of the right to education. Thus, the policy of the government of Rajasthan runs counter to international human rights law and to the stand taken by the Government of India in the international forum," says the letter.
3. There's a "dangerous lack of detail" with respect to regulation, standards, pre-requisites
The authors have noted "a dangerous lack of detail" in the draft and fear the blanks left will "lead to corrupt practices and poor quality." "For example," they write, "the policy provides that handing over of schools to private entities on a first come first serve basis and not necessarily on the basis of proven ability to manage schools, efficiency etc. There seems to be a total lack of transparency in several key aspects such as selection of schools, identification of children, methods of appraisal of PPP proposals and standards to be followed," they write. Making just about everyone eligible to run a school without vetting also "makes it hard to understand and monitor what is being agreed upon."
4. It fails to learn from past experience
"By stressing that the fees paying and fees free students will be taught in the same classrooms, the policy opens the students to discrimination in terms of access to school facilities," says the letter. And observing that "no educational system in the world in history has ever ensured universalization of education through reliance on private providers," they write, "there is no reason to believe that Rajasthan can be an exception to this historical trend."
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