“You are right, but we are not wrong”

The private schools that increased their fees recently had justified the deed by cushioning it on developing school infrastructure and teacher’s salary. Parents who have kids admitted in the respective schools stick to calling it a grossly unfair affair, one that was unexpected and unsolicited. And then there’s the education body dealing with the private schools, which endorsed the increase, established it as legit and stood by the private schools.

In this entire impasse, arguments on all sides seem to hold water as parents in their right places see the increase a tad ridiculously-asserted in the name of upping the ante to preparing better study atmosphere. The education body has ensured all criteria were met by schools to warrant an increase in fee structures, and the schools righteously latch onto their trump card of ‘quality comes at a price,’ while there’s also the ‘if students choose to get admitted, then they should also choose to pay up,’ and finally the basic truth that ‘private schools are business entities.’

Private schools have come as a refreshing entry in the sector and students attending them have justified their presence through their academic performances. With 33 of them established so far, the private education institutions have also eased the pressure on the government schools whose classrooms are almost at their seams, accommodating yet again the ever growing numbers.

Parents’ gripe in this seems solely hinged on the increase which they see as unreasonable and according to some, it was done without sufficient consultations. On this too, some private school representatives voiced out, that in certain parent-school meetings, parents had actually suggested that schools fees could be increased to cater to needs.

It is not a feeble excuse furnished by the schools, when they call themselves ‘business entities,’ because they are; and business involves the basic ground rules of payment, income, profit-generation the insurance of ensuring the stability of respective institutions to achieve continuity.

All in all and considering ‘retaining the virtues of having and not having,’ it should be seen that, perhaps more comprehensive provisions need to be drawn up by the monitoring bodies on the topic. Parents and schools need to be more elaborate and precise in their general Parent-Teacher consultation sessions. Parents shouldn’t forget that they are party to this newly-germinated situation if only because they choose (chose) the private schooling for their children, since fine elements such as the current one had always been in the folds down the line. Private schools need not be reminded they are business entities as they have it pretty solidly pegged. But, fact shouldn’t escape that business has ethics, and better business comes along with sound ethics.

For now, it seems there will be a lot of parents changing their minds sending their wards to the same school in the next academic session. So it is quite definite that students will be swapping schools among those private schools that have ‘reasonably’ increased their fees.

Published as Business Bhutan Editorial on October 25, 2014