Shady biz of pvt schools

Some honourable exceptions apart, the business of running private schools stinks of grave moral misconduct and even sham credentials as well as dubious affiliation to recognised school boards. Luring parents and students with fancy-sounding ‘English’ names and false claims and promises, all is hunky-dory till a skeleton falls out of a cupboard. The media is replete with such horrifying episodes.

The principal of a Ropar village private school is the latest to have been caught under the POCSO Act. Obscene photos and video clips from his computer (that he had given for repairs), now viral on social media, are incriminating evidence of his depravity. He is charged with raping and molesting several students over the past few years. What is more painful is that he was emboldened to continue with his nefarious behaviour as our society is still bound by outdated shackles. It refuses to shed the belief that exposing the victim girls’ identity would destroy their future and lives. Even as the villagers preferred to suffer in silence, someone who is neither a victim nor a family member came forward as the complainant in this instance.

It is a shame that the multi-level regulatory bodies responsible for ensuring the safety of students allow such schools and teaching shops to mushroom under their noses or even turn a Nelson’s eye till a scandal breaks out. While inspections by the authorities concerned might show an all-clean paperwork, a little scratching under the surface by the inspectors would reveal many a financial scam and morally fraudulent activity. Driven by the sole purpose of amassing wealth, such school managements have little qualms about casting aside the noble ideals of imparting quality education to the young and impressionable students left in their care by the trusting parents. In this unholy grind, even teachers and other staff are given a raw deal and exploited. The staffers bear the ordeal for fear of losing jobs. Equally reprehensible are the lucrative deals that schools, having captive consumers, strike with publishing houses and uniform makers. This daylight robbery must not go unpunished. The violators need to be taught a lesson.