We support English medium schools in opposing a government move to put all such schools under a category that would allow the education ministry to fix the tuition and admission fees.
This is undue state interference and a reckless move by the government. It also risks harming the quality of education in the long run.
Such schools are not subsidised by the government, and imposing a fixed tuition will force them to cut down on costs. These institutions will be compelled to increase the number of students in each class to keep up with expenses. It may even push some schools to try to illegally impose fees to increase revenues.
Just as in other service sectors, the government should not have restrictions on the fees charged by English medium schools. It is an unnecessary state intervention which will not serve the students’ educational needs.
Monitoring the quality of education in these schools or annual reviews of their performance are acceptable modes of involvement. If the government wants to influence tuition fees in private schools, it should focus on a more competitive alternative which would by itself be a good regulating factor.
It will not be possible for these institutions to continue to provide comprehensive educational services if they are not able to offer a decent salary to the teachers. Our primary goal should be high-quality education. Harming private schools will not help this.
