For some reason it appears to some people that a school is unlike any other business. It appears to them that a school is a holy service that can only be provided by the government.
It appears to me that the level of education required to teach schoolchildren is not very high. It doesn't need a PhD in physics to teach school level science. One doesn't have to be an outstanding writer to be able to teach school level language, nor the world's greatest artist to teach good art.
On a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 reflects the highest level of skill or education in a particular discipline, a schoolteacher needs a mere 5. It takes far more skill to become the head chef of a five-star restaurant than to teach schoolchildren.
Although the Indian government runs restaurants (e.g. Ashoka), most of us can easily agree that citizens in their private capacity can readily supply restaurants and hotels.
And if the private market can readily supply the skilled business of restaurants and hotels (leaving alone car factories or spacecraft), there seems to be no reason to believe that the private market cannot supply schools of high quality. If a person with appropriate training is hired as a school teacher or principal, there is no reason why he or she cannot teach in, or manage, a school.
So why do people think that schools are different category of business than hotels? Despite a person having appropriate qualifications to teach, it appears to them that only governments can run schools.
Do they believe that a qualified teacher suddenly becomes more capable by teaching in a government school?
Is there a mysterious spiritual ritual that is performed in schools that upgrades the skills of teachers?
This issue (of BLIND FAITH IN GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS) comes up while discussing the privatisation of schools and the use of parental choice (e.g. school vouchers) to resolve the problem of equal opportunity for the poorest sections of the community.
I'd appreciate any enlightenment that you could offer me in this regard. I'm completely confused why the most OBVIOUS solution to upgrade school standards, and to ensure the best value of taxpayer money for educating the poorest of the poor (- privatisation of schools and the use of parental choice – details in BFN) runs into so much resistance when I try to explain it to people.
Why are government bureaucrats considered so capable that only they know how to manage schools?
When I headed the school policy system in Assam (as Secretary to the Government) I did not think I was particularly gifted in this regard. Why are people DESPERATE to get a stupid babu (e.g. IAS) to teach their children?
By the way, ALMOST ALL THOSE WHO ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS SEND THEIR CHILDREN TO PRIVATE SCHOOLS.
