Members of the Praja Foundation, which has generated a report on BMC's school education, said the numbers of unrecognised and private schools have increased two-fold in recent years.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is pouring thousands of crores of rupees into improving education, but it appears that despite the cutting edge facilities being offered at civic-run schools, people prefer private schools over them. In all, the BMC offers 27 free items, including infrastructure facilities, tabs and virtual classrooms, but it appears that parents are still wary over the quality of education being imparted, and the freebies are failing to do its job in assuaging their fears.
Members of the Praja Foundation, which has generated a report on BMC's school education, said the numbers of unrecognised and private schools have increased two-fold in recent years.
As per the Unified District Information System for Education (U-DISE), numbers of students at BMC schools have gone down. In 2013-14, there were around 9 lakh students in various schools, while the number came down to around 8 lakh in 2017-18. Surprisingly, it's not only the BMC schools but even private aided schools which are losing popularity. It's only the private unaided schools that seem to be doing well, whose numbers have gone up by 76.
On the other hand, even unrecognised schools, which may be a private elite school or an institute with no affiliation to any board, have increased. From 110 in 2013-14, the number has increased to 222 in 2017-18.
"This shows people are no longer interested in free services being offered, but quality education for their children. They prefer even unrecognised schools over municipal ones," said Milind Mhaske, director, Praja Foundation.
WHAT THEY OFFER
- The BMC offers 27 free items, excluding tablets, virtual classrooms
- These freebies include uniforms, school bags, tiffin boxes, umbrellas, free bus passes, etc.
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