Public-private partnership in education

I read an article “Public-private partnership in education” by Prof. Jandhyala B G Tilak of the National University of Educational Planning and Administration, New Delhi, in this morning's edition of "THE HINDU" (published from Chennai). The writer explains the new model and analyses the possible pros and cons of the Public private partnership in education as proposed in our Eleventh Five Year Plan. According to the proposal, 2500 schools are to be set up by 2014. Each school will have about 2500 pupils out of which 1000 should be admitted from deprived sections of the society. These pupils will be charged a token fee. This seems to be in line with the recently introduced Right to Education Act.  This is a welcome move in the right direction. 

As the writer says, there is also a shortfall in the proposal: Autonomy given to each of these schools in filling the remaining 1500 seats. As the government will not have a say in regulating this part of the admission process, schools may continue charging donations and unreasonably exorbitant fees, just because parents are willing to pay, irrespective of whether the schools impart quality education or not. 

We need to develop an effective system to monitor quality issues in schools, on the lines of  National Accreditation and Assessment Council. I think that the Schools Education wing of the Quality Council of India should be geared to handle issues in a more focussed manner than at present, as after all, the characteristics of quality in K-12 education is very different from what they are in manufacturing industries.

Role of language in children's magazines

I remember reading Aunty Wendy’s column `Young Folks’ League’ (in the Illustrated Weekly of India) and stories in the then very popular Tamil monthly `Kannan’, during my childhood days in the ‘60s. The contents were highly educative as they were written in very simple language.  Hence children enjoyed reading them to the core.   

Today, many newspapers publish supplements for children. One such is the ‘yOuNG WorLD’ published by THE HINDU on Tuesdays. Usually the supplement carries contents, which are of interest to children. But what I find odd is the language used. Sometimes it is ambiguous and/or grammatically incorrect.

Let me give two examples of excerpts from today’s supplement to show as to how the language can be simplified and made more readable by children:

1. The 1st page carries the following passage: Put away your books and get ready to have agood time. The holidays are here. It is necessary to take a vacation because your body, mind and soul need time to rejuvenate. Some people like to travel to foreign  lands, while others enjoy visiting places close by that are familiar and easy to get to. There are yet others who just want to chill at home with their favourite books and music. Whatever, be your style, just sit back and have a great holiday.

2. Page 10 carries an advertisement by http://www.heymath.com/. Its brainteaser column lists the following question: In a nuts and bolts factory, machine A produces nuts at the rate of 100 nuts per minute and needs to be cleaned each time for 5 minutes after producing 1000 nuts. Machine B produces bolts at the rate of 75 bolts per minute and needs to be cleaned each time for 10 minutes after producing 1500 bolts. If both the machines start production at the same time, then what is the minimum duration required for producing 9000 pairs of nuts and bolts?

The passages can be simplified and made more child-friendly as follows:

Put your books away and get ready to have a good time. The holidays are here. It is necessary to take a vacation because your body, mind and soul need time to refresh. Some people like to travel abroad, while others enjoy visiting places, which are nearby, familiar and easy to reach. There are yet others who just want to chill at home with their favourite books and music. Whatever be your style, just sit back and have a great holiday.

In a nuts and bolts factory, machine A produces 100 nuts per minute. It needs to be cleaned each time for 5 minutes after producing 1000 nuts. Machine B produces 75 bolts per minute and needs to be cleaned each time for 10 minutes after producing 1500 bolts. If both machines are switched on at the same time, how much time will they take for producing 9000 pairs of nuts and bolts?

I think that simple, grammatically correct and appropriately punctuated language is of paramount importance when it comes to publishing any material for children.