Private Entrepreneurs Are Heroes' Of Modern Education In India: Shayama Chona

Often put under the scanner, the private institutions and entrepreneurs must be given their due share of respect and opportunity in terms of hand holding by the government.

Padma Bhushan awardee and former principle of DPK, RK Puram, Shayama Chona called a greater participation of the private sector in education and make it a priority.

"The opportunity in the hands of private entrepreneurs, I would rather call them social entrepreneurs, has been limited. They are not able to take it to the level it should be. I applaud those entrepreneurs, as what could not be accomplished elsewhere is undertaken by the private sector," said Chona on the sidelines of BW Top Education Brands, 2017 edition in New Delhi.

Chona questioned why the business of education be criticised at all. "We have privatized almost all the sectors, including the dangerous ones and it is high time we give private education the priority it deserves," said Chona who mentioned how she lightly propagated years back two different education directors for Delhi to cater government and private sector separately.

She further added, "I do not understand why the government is after the private sector as we contribute trillion and are always under the scanner. We have not got together to put the government schools under the scanner," said Chona. Apart from making the Public Private Partnership model feasible in the education sector, Choma also pitched for fair accountability, especially of the ones rated at the top.

"There should be a criteria where no school can make it to the top until it is accountable and takes the responsibility- Social, legal, political. We need to justify our existence. We have a lot on our shoulders and until we justify that, we would always be criticised as money-making entities, which is not a fact," mentioned Chona.

Chona called for a holistic parent education as well as they are an equal part of a child's learning journey. She elaborated how the teachers need to move away from the obsession of curriculum, examination and result oriented system to student-centred learning. She raised an important question of non- learning among the schools in India where an educated child is ashamed to clean the roads in front of their own house?

Naina Sood

BW Reporters Naina Sood is a Economics graduate and has done her post graduation in International economics and Trade. She has deep interests in Indian economy and reforms