new education trend -- more business less values and education

I started sending my daughter to play school in June 2007. School was reputed and they had good (not extra ordinary) facilities. The fee I was told to pay was INR 23,000 per anum. I felt bit uneasy but then I had no other option because most of the (so called) good schools had their fee in same range. The same school has recently announced the admission for next year (June 2008) batches and last week when I went to school to pick my daughter I was shocked to see on notice board that they have revised their fee from next year. Now parents need to pay INR 33,000 per anum for Play Group, nursery and KG. The fee was hiked more than 40%. I thought to change school for my daughter next year onward but then bouncer came that all of the schools (of same level and facilities) have revised their fee to INR 33,000 per anum. Means it was a collective decision and they may have some association to decide these things. I felt education is now purely a (fast growing) business in India.

At home I sat and did some calculation. Took out the school calendar and found that school only operates for around 200 days per year. Playgroup has just 2 hours timing so you will now pay INR 33,000/400 per hour and that comes INR 82.5 per hour. I completed my Bachelor of Technology from a reputed institute. I was there for 4 years and we had hectic schedule for classes. I paid around INR 9,000 for four years. This is 9 year back story. I am not sure how much my Alma meter charges now for four year B Tech courses. Even if they charge in tune of INR 50,000 per year, that is justified because that includes rich library and book bank setup with lots of lab instruments(hardware and software) and 7 hour per day classes. The school where my daughter goes just has PlayGroup to KG. It is running in a 2 flats setup in Aundh. They have limited set of kids playing facilities. They have around 6 teachers and 4 admin staff. They have some maids (around 8). They have around 50 students. Thus cumulative sum of fee is INR 1150000 per anum. For 3 hour school they won’t be paying a high some to their school staffs. I feel the management makes good some of money. This was all about the initial stage of education. Now I will let you know another story. Someone told me this story. Few months back, one of his college friends (in US) contacted him on chat and requested him to go in person to one of the reputed engineering institute in his city for collecting the admission forms (paid seat) for his sister who was not from that place. He told that he had visited the website of institute and the last date is in next week and it seems the paid seat fee is just around INR 1, 00000 and he can bear the expense. When that person went to institute and enquired, he came to know that for getting a paid seat admission, the candidate needs to pay extra INR 3,00000 (under the table) to the institute management apart from the usual fee (specified on the website and forms).

In India, education is converting rapidly as an industry. Institute has goals to create more profit (sometime white and sometime black) than to provide quality education and create role models for society. Most confusing part is that government is not giving any attention towards this. It is just interested in providing reservations in government/private institutes and taking back the autonomies of some institutes and universities. Government schools at different levels are dying. Either there is no teacher or if the teachers are there they don’t get salaries properly or they are not good enough.