‘Charities should prioritise education of kids from humble families’

Social activist and educationist Amjad Ali talks to Mahesh Sharma about a need of making immediate and well-planned steps to facilitate education of children from underprivileged families.

What is your family background?

I was born in a humble family of Malerkotla during a period when higher education was a prerogative of the rich and affluent. Before setting up my own educational institutes and industrial units, I worked in private and public enterprises at various positions.

When did you start teaching?

Though I have been associated with policy making and governance of private educational institutes for over four decades, I started a senior secondary school in 2002 and a degree college affiliated with Punjabi University a few years later.

What challenges have you faced in running these institutes?

Providing quality education at a nominal fee is a big challenge in absence of government aid. Economic viability of private educational institutes is still a major concern in areas where people can’t afford the increasing cost of education, or prefer providing luxuries to their wards rather than fulfilling educational needs.

How did you manage to bridge the gap between increasing expenses and constricting revenue?

We never compromised in appointing teaching staff as teachers are the backbone of any educational institute. We, however, tried to minimise administrative costs by sharing responsibilities among ourselves.

How did you help students from poor families?

We provided concessions and facilities to all students coming from poor families in accordance with the government policies. We also used to reimburse fees as per the students’ performance.

Do you have any suggestions for education of wards from underprivileged families?

Though there is an extensive network of government educational institutes till the secondary level, people should come forward to donate liberally for higher education of children from poor families. Those who can afford it should ensure that children of their maids, servants, cooks, drivers and other employees don’t remain uneducated.

What steps can be taken in general to further these efforts?

I once served as a district governor of an international service organisation which caters to education for the less privileged. Philanthropists, including corporate groups, should be encouraged to keep education of poor children on top priority of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects.