Dear Editor,
It would be good if the Ministry of Education could state its position on unregistered private schools across the country. There are some that are more ready than others in terms of having things in place, both as far as building suitability and curriculum delivery are concerned.
Many of these schools can compare favourably with some of the state schools in the country.
It should be noted that it is the state that is responsible for the education of its citizens and so the onus is on the state to ensure that what is offered by these private schools is in keeping with the goals and objectives of the Ministry of Education. While the main purpose of private schools is to make money for their owners, the state needs to have a say in the quality of the delivery of the curriculum to their pupils.
Parents send their children to private schools because they have been refused accommodation in the school in the area; there is poor placement practice; children are not given the attention they need; children have been placed in a school which is below their expectation; parents have a poor opinion of the school; or the school in which a child is placed does not offer a certain programme.
The Ministry of Education should ensure that children are not made uncomfortable because of schools which enrol more students than they have the capacity to accommodate.
The private schools serve a good purpose that benefits the state tremendously. They help to ease the overcrowding in the state schools. Imagine the situation that would prevail if private schools were not in operation. The state must ensure that some of these private schools are given the recognition they deserve. They must be supported in offering the same assessments as the government schools, and they must not be left to formulate their own sets of rules and regulations but must fall within the ambit of the Ministry of Education. Some of these schools need to be pulled in line and must be seen to operate as a school, and not as a profit-at-all-costs institution.
Private schools are profitable businesses and they are apparently here to stay. As such, I urge the Ministry of Education not to slumber. The ordinary layperson views the Ministry of Education as being confined to Brickdam and its environs, but it needs to have its presence felt in education generally and not only in government schools. Education is the nation’s business.
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address provided)
