School donations a necessary evil: parents

Under the new RTE rules, the state government will fine schools caught taking donations, 10 times the amount taken. DNA asks parents for their point of view.

Expert view
Money needed to provide good services
Schools shouldn’t ask for donations from parents as it is unethical. It is wrong to ask for such high amounts of money as I’m sure not all can afford it. Having said that, I do agree with the fact that education isn’t cheap anymore. Schools need money to improve the condition and facilities available for students.  If private institutions have come up with good infrastructure and quality educational services then it should be appreciated. But, it is necessary to have a policy that can strictly stop wrong practices undertaken by some institutions. Parents shouldn’t support such institutions by fulfilling their unjustified demands for the money. Parents do give in to such demands as they don’t want to take a risk when it comes to their child’s future and thus accept such things as general norms of schools. Moreover, since independence, educational institutions have not grown in proportion to the population. Government has also proved helpless in providing the right kind of educational services. Earlier, missionary and charitable schools used to run with the aid and donations taken from the affluent section of society, which isn’t viable now. So, while it is good that private schools are mushrooming, they must function with complete transparency.
—Amith Bajla, chairman, Taurian World School

Why pay donation at all?
Donation means voluntary gift (as of money or service or ideas) made to some worthwhile cause. But, why should a parent donate money to a school to get their child admitted to a good school? Isn’t education every child’s right? We already pay a hefty amount as school fee, so why pay more in the name of donation. Also, if a child changes school after a year or so because of any reason does it mean that parents will have to shell out money again? How much money are parents supposed to spend on a child’s education? The government needs to take a look at it and make sure parents are not fooled as most of the time donations are counted under unaccountable funds by schools.
—Coretta D’Souza, homemaker

Paid donation for son’s sake
During my son’s admission two years ago, after fulfilling all the formalities, I suddenly got a notice from the school that I would have to deposit a sum of Rs5,000 in the name of some school development fee. This was asked even after paying a hefty amount of Rs30,000 as school fees, and was supposed to be made without any receipt. Even though I was outraged, I couldn’t pull my son out from the school as the admission process in all other schools had closed. I wouldn’t waste a year of my son’s life so I gave in to the school’s demands. The government must crack down on such unethical practices.
—Radhika Sapkal, media professional

Donations good if not misused
There was no demand of donation or any such formalities in my son’s school. We just had to pay the school fee. Schools that provide good
facilities to students are able to do so because they can arrange for a good amount of money for the development of the school. If schools take such huge amounts from parents in the name of donations and don’t misuse it then it is fair. Today, many schools have facilities like swimming pools, playgrounds, air conditioned buildings, school bus, etc. which are needed, but in return schools must bring in transparency in such transactions.
—Shankar Machcha, businessman

System will never change
The whole education system is rotten and no amount of amendments can change that. We talk about education to all but at the same time, schools demands high fees and donations. The government’s new clause about fining schools if they ask for donations is good but I’m not sure how well it will be implemented. Sometimes schools ask for donations in the form of favours if not cash. But, I also think that if a school has to provide good facilities to their students then it does need money. There are two sides to a coin; therefore, it would be difficult to get rid of the necessary evil in the education system.
—Kanchan Tahilani, homemaker

Focus on education not money
With lack of good schools in the city, parents are already in a fix as it has become difficult to get admission. Therefore, some schools take advantage of such situations and make exuberant demands. So, either parents have to give in or look for other options. Every parent wants their child to get the best in life, starting from a good school but it is not easy for many to pay high school fees or cough up high amounts in donations. I consider such demands by schools as nothing less than corruption. Schools are considered sacred and meant to deliver good education, not money-making schemes.
—Ruchika Shrivastva, freelancer