Times of India recently published the controversial RTE known as Right To Education Act which encourages that no child shall be held back, expelled, or required to pass a board examination until completion of elementary education.
The main issue is the 25 percent reservation of seats in private schools for unprivileged aspirants without any screening, no failing and no expulsion. The proposal is still hanging after private schools got alarmed with such ventures. In order to settle some questions and comments on both sides, Times of India organized a discussion including both parties.
Overall, the discussion resulted harmonically. Private schools side has no problems with the 25 percent requested by the government while the government is very eager with the agreement and even admitted inefficient funds to finance such education program. But the only problem is private schools aren’t so sure about some policies like no screening and no expulsion for aspirants.
The private sector commented that such agreements do not implement discipline in students and they have provided places for poor children but undergone background investigation.
According to times of India, the main issue which is unexpanded during the discussion is the burden given to the private education sectors which can be very exhausting on the parents which are paying the private school. Even if government funds up to 10, 000 Ruphias, it wouldn’t still be enough to compensate the expenses of the private schools in educating such children.
Since there are 25 percent seats granted by the private school the remaining 75 percent will be forced to pay up for the education which concerns not the students but their parents paying for their education. The hard part for private schools is the RTE’s empowerment to India’s Education Department and local education units which might endorse and insist some of their candidates for private schools education.
Amazingly a private school in Washington D.C. will be equipped with solar panels under the North Americas premiere distributor, installer and integrator of solar energy solutions.
The White River Junctions groSolar will launch August for the unique energy project with Sidwell Friends School. Whats amazing is the Quaker-run private school is attended by President Obama’s two daughters –Sasha and Malia.
The 120 solar panels will be provided by the alumni and parents of the school community through $5,000 dollar bonds. After completing the payment for the solar panels, it will then be owned by the contributors and be used as a renewable source of energy for the community. However, when the panels get paid the contributors will then donate it to the school.
The project came to be realized because of the seen difficulties upon installing solar panels. Such difficulty had a break through when Ketch Ryan, the co-founder of Common Cents Solar managed to put solar panels on her home in D.C. three years ago and made a big difference in her community.
With such initiative, communities will be able to produce 3,000 kilowatt hours per month enough to power five residential homes of the community. And through the 120 solar panels, the community will be able to offset about 40,000 pounds of carbon dioxide each year promoting a greener and carbon minimal environment.
And with the technical support and services coming from Vermont’s groSolar, communities will be getting to familiarize the use of solar panels. Just like Ryan’s experience, her neighbors got curious and bundled together then agreed to install solar panels which brought benefits to their community.
GroSolar is committed in providing services to non-profit institutions not limited to individual homes but also comprising schools and their education programs.
Health consciousness is a main concern for today’s sedimentary generation. There have been guidelines and provisions restricting the regular catering of junk foods in some high schools and preschools recently.
South Australia’s Rite Bite program is one of many. The program obliges SA private and public schools as well as preschools to cater healthy food and drink supply for their students avoiding too much junk food.
The program is based on the Australian Dietary Guideline for Children and Adolescents and the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating (AGHE). The program have been compulsory to government schools in Australia so as private and individual schools.
However, the Cancer Council of South Australia –a non government organization aiming to reduce the impact of cancer comments that the compulsory Rite Bite program has been ignored by some Catholic and private/independent schools due to parent reactions and reports.
The reports alleged some non-governmental schools to be careless by letting their students eat unhealthy foods during lunch such as; pizzas and chips biscuits as well as soft drinks and other party foods despite the claims that most of them offered healthy foods.
The Cancer Council urged the Australian government to enforce such provision and requested cutting of fundraisings and donations to schools which are violating the Rite Bite policy.
Conversely, the Australian Association of Independent Schools commented that the CCSA’s intention was for the student’s well being however the advice was not appropriate and explained that the confrontation was made without any consultation from the independent schools side.
The Chief Executive expressed that they shouldn’t be objected solely to the Rite Bite program because they are implying multiple health advocated programs out in the education market and the Rite Bite policy have been circulated and implemented around all independent schools.
Furthermore, Education Minister Jay Weatherill emphasized the autonomy of independent schools to impose such student health program.
A recent study was conducted regarding the capability of private schools (independent schools) to provide bursaries (places, grants and scholarships) to poorer children as legally required by the Charity Commission.
The conclusion was most of the private schools offer less places and student aid compared to less prestigious schools.
According to the Sutton Trust report, more than a quarter of the private schools offer less than 5 percent of their total income in places and student aid. And one in eight allocates less than 3 percent of their total income for bursaries.
The Stafford University’s Institute for Education Policy and Research analysis of financial accounts of 348 private schools in 2008 showed that private schools devoted only 7.8 percent of their total income for scholarships of students form poorer families.
And highly ranking prestigious private schools (between 1 and 70 by the NY Times) spend only 4.3 percent comparing to less reputational schools (ranked between 211 and 280) which set asides 7.2 percent for scholarship purposes for poorer students.
The said reason behind the conflict is the tendency of prestigious schools to ignore bursaries (which can also be a form of marketing) because they have strong marketing influence due to their popularity while less popular private schools tries hard to gain market share through scholarship for poorer families.
Provisions have been given to private schools obliging them to provide charitable work by offering student places and student aid excluding then usual community service. Unfortunately last year, two independent prep schools have been found deficient in providing places for poor families.
In defense, Independent Schools Council (ISC) commented that the Charity Commission came into a narrow approach of the provisions and requested a review on the guidelines.
And ISC Head of Research Rudolf Eliott Lockhart found no relation between a private school’s bursaries (student aid) and its ranking. He also added that bursaries will depend on many factors including parent donations and schools operating expense.
As the number of applicants on few business schools rise, an opportunity for privately managed MBA institutions unwraps. An increasing rate of student enticement brought existence to the newest London School of Business and Finance enrolling 300 MBA students internationally.
With the increasing cost of attending business campuses and the strong demand for MBA’s, analysts figured the private sector investors have taken advantage of the circumstances in penetrating the business education market. According to Professor Huw Morris, chair of the Association of Business Schools, there are more than 30 private business schools in the United Kingdom recently.
Private Business Schools has a good reputation especially in Europe. Graduates often become business tycoons of the generation and rising from ordinary graduates to leaders in the commerce industry. Nunzio Quacquarelli, managing director of QS, a network for top careers and education, put into example France and IE Business School in Madrid which ranked top 10 in the institutions which are very enticing to employers by Financial Times.
Meanwhile, critiques often question if private business education can compete with usual education and how effective is the training done compared to traditional business education. However, in surveys students don’t mind whatever financed the school but with the student grants a school can offer. Many traditional university administrators claimed that a business school will be very efficient under a university due to utmost support possible the university can give and the integration of curricular subjects like math, economics and engineering.
But flexibility is the main feature of private schools which can enables private curriculum and programs to adapt changes in the business industry whenever possible. ESMT in Berlin, founded by 25 global companies that provide a valuable sounding boarder to the ground link to the market, can respond rapidly to changing market needs.
According to Professor Paul Danos, dean of Tuck Business School at Dartmouth, the amount of which a student pays on a school determines the quality of a course. As of private schools, half of the budget is coming from donations and school fees which will be used for improvement of school facilities and faculties. Like Tuck Business School, a $60 million income is focused on high end faculty teaching to a small number of students.
Private schools worldwide have low down their increase in tuition fees in order for families to cope up with the hard economic times. Instead of raising tuitions in the most profitable manner, private schools increase fees above break-even still assuring the survival of their respective institutions.
A fine example is the private education institutions in Hawaii where most of them barely increased a 2.9 – 3.8, percent of the whole tuition fees. Hawaii Preparatory Academy (considered as the most expensive school of Hawaii) made a $500 difference from $19,900, this coming school year from $19,200 last year.
Punahou School also made a $500 (2.8 percent) increase from its school tuition compared to last years 3.8 percent tuition hike and increased its financial aid budget to $ 4.4 million providing need-based financial aid to some 495 students.
Mid-Pacific Institute also raised $500 in their tuition fees for the incoming year. Administrators rationalized the increase in support for the school’s rising expenses such as; employee health insurance to supplies to electricity.
Iolani School will have an increase of 3.5 percent $16,150 on private high school tuition this academic year compared to a 4.7 percent last year. And granted 12 percent increase in financial aid budget amounting to $2.9 million.
High school tuition at Le Jardin Academy increased $300 to $14,000 tuition. Damien Memorial School also had the same increase from $9,875 to its high school tuition. While
Pacific Buddhist Academy with 64 students from grades 9-12 increased about $800 from $10,000 due to a noticeable decline in donations. Damien Memorial School also had the same increase from $9,875 to its high school tuition.
Administrators claimed that such increase would be too risky due to the rising cost of educational equipments and resources and they don’t promise that such tuition fees will not rise in the following years.
The global recession had hit educational systems all over the world with a dilemma. Both public and private education schools had suffered a massive unbalance in student enrollment. The state has been using every possible option for public schools due to its increasing student population due to transferring student’s from independent schools or private schools.
Recently, private schools in Greece were forced to close because families can no longer support expensive private education. While Valley schools report an enormous decline in student enrollment. Parents pay a 10 % tuition in most schools in the valley while many of them are becoming unemployed due to many lay offs in their respective companies. And with this, private schools are getting alarmed with the assumption that there will also be a catastrophic decline regarding the financial aspect of the schools. This could bring up bankruptcy and schools may choose to close with the lack of donations and tuitions.
Some schools like Clovis Christian School has decided to close doors accepting that the schools had been killed by the economy. Large schools in the valley would then plunge into reducing their tolls which is very risky in times of economic hardships. The reported tuition cutback in Clovis Christian School was from $8,100 annually to a gradual decrease into $6,750 for freshmen, and 40% of all levels have been granted scholarships and financial aid. Definitely such historical decrease in tuition fees cannot give security for the survival of the private institution. Another factor in the decrease of student’s in private schools is the unmeant competition between public schools and some other charter school institution.
Officials of private school have temporarily supplied the blood line through financial aid of about 15% but it could not be determined if this can aid for long considering the recession going on. With parents on the tight budget, financial incapability, and direct competition among public and chartered schools, private institutions are not giving up and will try every last option even if takes laying off their tight knitted teachers.
United Kingdom government forced two private schools to do charity work after a watchdog complained about inactivity in charity work. The Labor Commission cites private schools must provide free education to 20 poorer students of U.K. The order was based on the 2006 Labor law that charity work must provide public benefit assessed by the Charity Commission. As reported on the Daily Mail UK, the charity commission pressed for the move in return for the schools to keep their charitable status and the tax breaks that come with it.
St. Anselm’s Preparatory School in Bakewell and Highfield Priory in Lacanshire were discovered to yield from its charitable obligations. The commission also pointed that since the charity act had took its effect on 2006, the two preparatory schools had failed to offer subsidized places for families compared to numerous independent schools. In defense with the commission’s expectations, David Lyscom of the Independent Schools Council said: “This decision does little to lift the uncertainty for charitable schools about what they need to do to meet the commission’s public benefit test. Nor does it resolve our concern all along that the commission’s interpretation of public benefit is too narrow and deeply flawed”.
In addition, the head teacher of St. Anselm’s pointed out the numerous problems faced by the school, from its difficult rural location, the issue of child protection concerning the juvenility of the students and the school has no donations. She believes this could complicate the situation especially in this economically hard time to add more subsidies and places. Labor critics condemned such regulation saying that providing education itself is a public benefit and providing places would mean increasing tuition fees of the private schools.
Deciding on what particular educational institution children should go is a major task for parents and families. Every family has their own culture and beliefs which is a factor on their educational choices. For most families, private education is their first option especially in America. Reports show that 1 in 4 schools in America is a private school and 1child in 9 attends a private school. Parents are conditioned that when their child enrolls in a private school, they can get most of quality education giving them adequate learning for future school grades. Studies in Canada and United States showed that student’s enrolled in a private school score higher on standardized tests and college entrance exams than those who completed a public education. Private schools also emphasize accelerated education by adding additional curricular activities which is a great advantage. There is also maximum emersion concerning English language learning and much other foreign verbal communication. These show that private schools focus on educating their students without any disruptions compared to public schools which have more chances of being affected by national issues.
Individual attention–private schools (independent schools) have smaller class sizes compared to public classes guaranteeing a higher level of attention to each learner. Parents can enroll their child on science based private schools, or on religious schools if they want a school which has the same religious component as their family. Multiple Intelligence –private schools develop and appreciate the uniqueness of each child’s learning styles compared to the conventional academic standards. Considering the finances, parents may spend more in private schools but such expenditures on tuition fees are aid for the school’s fund, enabling the institution for more developments.
Economically, private schools produce an annual savings to taxpayers estimated at more than $48,000,000,000. And colleges like the Minnesota Private Colleges which is composed of 17 member intuitions contribute more than $1.2 billion in institutional expenditures and outlays, employ 12,400 faculty and staff and 11,800 student workers and paying more than $1.2 million to local governments through taxes, fees and assessments.
The decline in the number of student’s attending private schools is becoming to be noticed. Students began to leave private schools and parents are transferring them to public schools because of the evident financial crisis. This year, the expected decline in enrollee’s estimated to be higher than 25 % in primary grades and 15 % in intermediate grades. The mere fact that not every child enrolled in private schools comes from elite rich families but mostly are parents working hard enough to give their children the best education ever that is through private schools.
Considering the fact that most children are enrolled in private schools, an example is Greece which has an approximately 95, 000 student attendance in 500 private schools and only few are considered on the elite category which can afford to send their children even with high fees. These would bring catastrophe to mostly 500 private schools as regards to the student attendance. Many schools will be closed and teachers will lose their respective jobs.
Private schools provide the best education for students but at the price of expensiveness, parents will be forced to send their children at public educational institutions. The best solution that private schools should employ is lowering respective tuition fees so that all families will be able to send their children at private education. These were the words of the president of the Association of Teachers in Private Schools Michalis Kurutos. He said that private school owners should not consider it as business but a nucleus in building the nation’s wealth.
Another option is to let kids study online. This would cut back the expenses on commuting, books and school materials. Online education is right for tight budgeting in this recession period. It also opens the option of studying anywhere not only in Greece which can be considered as studying internationally.