District education officer Arvind Vijay Bilung believes that expensive public schools are not the only place where the true potential of a child can be realised.

Vijay broadly classifies parents in three categories the ones who believe that expensive public schools providebest of education, the economically weak ones who want 'easy' education for their children and the
ones who are poor but still send their children to reputed English medium schools.

?Many parents cannot afford the exorbitant fees demanded by the private institutions,? says Bilung.

?Unfortunately, many parents are apprehensive about sending their children to government-aided schools. They are swayed by the notion that as government schools ask for lesser fees, the quality of education in these schools suffers,? Bilung says, ?Expensive education does not necessarily ensure quality education, nor does it ensure a sure-shot way to success.?

Bilung, however, believes that government-aided schools need to be more transparent regarding their mode of functioning.

Bilung encourages parents of his students to play a pro-active role in the children?s education. ?Suggestions from parents regarding the changes they would want in the school is always welcome. We are trying our best to meet the needs of the students. We are also working on the infrastructure aspect,? Vijay emphasises.

Vijay does not see too much of a difference between private schools and government-aided schools. Government schools, too, have students who are intelligent and have the potential to prosper if given an opportunity., he assets.

?Parents who send their children to private schools are concerned about their children?s education, maybe because they are required to pay more fees,? he says. ?Unfortunately, a lot of parents who send their children to government-aided schools do not take interest in what their children are doing at school,? he concludes.

Arti Sahuliyar