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Calling the elephant in the room

As long I have been in this industry, I believe I belong to a section that believes that for the nation to progress, healthy competition in every industry is the key (not to mention an open economy with presence of Indian and foreign companies but that’s a debate for another time) and more specifically within our own industry – education, the role of private schools is interesting – pushing the deck, raising the bar, bringing in new ideas, best in class teaching and learning practices, challenging the status quo, better infra, better systems and processes among other things. For all of this to happen, there will be investments and a lot of effort.

For as long as I can remember, the private sector has been held back and is the first to come under any sort of scrutiny when the going gets tough enough on grounds that managements are interested in returns and education is considered “…..” For the record, no one has ever been able to define this blank for me. Education is what? Every child’s right? Noble? Has to be non for profit because it is……? I remember a liaising officer telling me, “Madam, this is what it is. The law says this and we know it is baseless and forces people to find loop holes, but what to do?”

For a moment, let’s accept it is what it is. Let me bring in another sector like education that recently has been brought into a lot of discussions. Healthcare.

Every citizen’s right to access and reach? Noble? It is about lives and about health. At times, it is about life and death right? How can private players come in the name of a foundation and set up numerous branches across the country and initiate a sales and marketing team not to mention PR to ‘attract’ customers for their better systems, processes, diagnosis and post treatment care. How on earth can they make this experience a seamless one for families, and why associate comfort with it, and fancy beds and reception areas and grand infra. Basic works?

Well everyone knows as a democratic nation, as tax paying citizens of a country, we have a right to choice, live and be educated and avail of healthcare within our means.

For example, a parent enrolling a child in a school pre pandemic is aware about the fees, the policies, the expectations and readily accepts this when enrolling in a private school? This parent I would assume cares deeply about his/her children and plans ahead for the future as every progressive mind would? Plan for a rainy day – almost like putting money in some sort if ’paper‘ so that on a rainy day despite the circumstances, that is one thing that is taken care of?

Well, I know many parents spend sleepless nights wondering how to get into ‘their’ dream school (child is oblivious), and do possibly everything in their power to send their child to the school that they believe will cement a strong foundation for a bright future?

The same school 4 months later, (and agreed that these are not normal times and everyone is experiencing extra ordinary circumstances) becomes a ‘monster’ exhorting money and making profits while their families are undergoing a crisis?

Really?

How did this transformation happen in 4 months when schools were closed? Did it happen because a few initiated a movement and decided that while they will continue to pay GST and penalties for their own businesses that are shut down, will pay their own staff salaries in full, and demand money from their customers with a penalty clause, will continue to pay electricity bills and order take away from restaurants at the same rates that they would eat in the restaurants, the schools, however must share their financial pain.

Schools with deep pockets (remember they make tons and tons of profit and therefore are able to multiply rapidly – please do not give them credit for being enterprising and building capacity and scaling, do not for a moment give them credit for their efforts, innovation, quality for which parents are signing up, and dont for a moment give them credit of being futuristic and ahead of the ahead to help your children) …. so back to the point, schools with deep pockets must now ignore their loans, emis, expenditure and challenges (remember they are also in the same boat as everyone else, the pandemic did not make them emotionally stronger because they are running schools) and waive off fees because their efforts for seamless learning online is not considered effort.

“After all online learning is not ‘school’. It is a stop gap” – As some media reports have us believe is what is being discussed with ministers.

Well, the truth is that we may be in this ‘stop’ gap for the rest of our lives, because even when schools open, if we do not scale up as a nation and embrace technology, we will be doing a disservice to our children because they will be back to square one and in fact in the negative as they will not have the skills to cope with a world that will constantly change. They wont have what it takes to survive. And that puts us back in the loop – no jobs and a poor economic output.

So, while I accept that there has to be a medium path- some sort of discussion and dialog what disappoints me about this whole movement is governments who have very little time (remember they are dealing with a bigger issue of stability and pandemic) are passing directives, comprising fundamental right to educate, and earn. And doing it with a view to ‘please’ and not consider the impact of decision and its deep consequences for the future.

Courts are becoming battle grounds, and I do hope children are not reading some of these discussions openly because when a parent making his point on FB last night about schools having ‘egos and extorting money’ will need to know, when all this is over, his child or a nephew will be reading this and wondering why the parent is sending their loved ones to ‘extortionists’.

For the sake of our children, for the sake of their future, let’s communicate in this industry in a way that can set example of how one needs to act and behave when there is a crisis.

For the sake of the children, trust your school and their commitment to your children, have faith that teachers toiling hard last 4 months will be jobless and when your children are ready to go back to school, those same teachers may be demotivated to come back and teach. There may not be schools to send your children to!

For the sake of the children and with them, our future, let’s partner and not point fingers. Let the decisions be made within each school and what each management can do, let the flexibility come in, let there be a solution generated, and let the children continue to learn.

For the sake of the children remember one bad experience of a management not communicating cannot be generalised for all!

Not through apps, or videos but taught by their teachers who have skilled up. Let’s commit to paying fees that help the whole eco system move ahead.

This is not an US Vs THEM debate, this is about teachers, children and the future of the country and there has got to be a better way to progress than blanket bans and court cases?

Who has the time or money for that?

Make that adjustment everyone for we are wasting previous time. As a country, we are two decades behind in every sense. Let’s not handicap these children further.

Author

  • Fatema Agarkar

    Fatema Agarkar, Founder and Chairperson , Agarkar Centre of Excellence (ACE) Veteran of 3 educational start-ups , now Founder of the Agarkar Centre of Excellence, Fatema’s passion for teaching-learning and children defines the different roles she has crafted in 20 years – as an edupreneur, educator and mentor. Fatema who is a State and University topper as part of the prestigious Mumbai based Sydenham College of Commerce & Economics, holds a degree of Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from Birmingham (UK), apart from her B.ED and ECCE degrees amassed when she decided education was her calling. Having kick-started her career in the corporate world and working with premier organizations like Commerzbank, Times of India and Egon Zehnder International, she always had an inner urge to bring about an enhancement in the sphere of education.. As an educationist and life-long learner, she has come a long way to intertwine modern methods of learning, teaching and customizing education as per the student’s intellectual requisites thus eradicating stress that stems from the education system. She has been sedulous in making comprehensive alterations in the education field in India. Being a risk-taker, Fatema has been focusing on the generation of innovative educational modules and her in-depth academic know-how, nothing but truly defines her ceaseless passion. Her name is synonymous with successful education models of the country and she is adjudged as Education World’s top 50 Educators in the year 2020. Adding more feathers to her hat, she has also been the recipient of several prestigious awards for her outstanding contribution to the field of education in the years 2013 and 2015. Fatema has been awarded by Giants Group for her outstanding contribution to the field of education in 2012, the Young Achiever’s Award in the year 2017, Singapore based, Best of Asia’s, ‘Enterprising Educator in the year 2018 and as an entrepreneur ‘Best Edupreneur 2019 and Best Leadership’ by Progressive Academic Excellence India (Maharashtra 2019) and one of the 10th finest inspirational educators in 2019 by TKR, India . Her name is synonymous with successful education models of the country and she is adjudged as Education World’s top 50 Educators in the year 2020. Adding more feathers to her hat With close to 2 decades of experience in education, Fatema is the recipient of several honours including the Indian Achiever’s Award 2021. In July 2023, Fatema was also awarded the ‘Mumbai’s top Women Leader’ award by the CMO Asia National Awards’ (10th edition). Fatema is also a Jury Member for Cambridge School Recognition Awards 2025. Having being associated with leading high school brands like DRS International, Hyderabad, NSS Hill Spring International, Mumbai, The Gera School, Goa, D Y Patil High School, Talegaon (Pune), SVM, Ratnagiri by the Gadre family, The Excellere World School, Gurgaon, JBCN International Schools, Mumbai, Fatema has now close to 40 pre-schools and high schools that she has set up from the grassroot level including a school for special needs’. Fatema is on the Advisory Board of several Trusts including EduTech India, Wockhardft Foundation as well as a jury member, Education World Awards, a platform that recognizes the efforts of educators pan India. Fatema is also the Vice President for Early Childhood Association (ECA) and the Mumbai Territory Head for Association for Primary Education & Research (APER) in India. Fatema has been appointed as the global ambassador of the Commonwealth Entrepreneurs Club. . Fatema is on the advisory board of the All-India Gaming Federation (AIGF) and currently appointed as the National Council Member for Financial Literacy & Management by WICCI. Given her access to parents and her ability to provide age appropriate strategies to enable them to make more informed choices, Fatema’s passion remains counselling in the hope that effective parenting will enable children to benefit the most. Fatema is also the special advisor of the Child Chapter Association (CCA), a non-governmental organisation registered as a Section 8. company under the Companies Act, 2013 whose mission is to spread awareness and eliminate child abuse, including child sexual abuse. Her role as a special advisor of CCA includes providing advice and guidance for their special outreach programs for Schools and teachers that tap into the child psyche and help them raise their voice against abuse. Fatema also played an instrumental role in the development of the CCA comic books and characters for their global campaign for child abuse awareness and prevention. Currently, Fatema is the Advisor & Mentor to Finland International School, Race Course and on course to start her own school in 2026. As a TedX speaker, and a avid blogger, Fatema is passionate about sharing her knowledge amassed and inspiring stakeholders be it teachers, parents or students. Her vision includes set up up of Soup Kitchens, Foster Homes and a community centre for the elderly under the Agarkar Foundation in time.

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