By Roney Lyndem
Education is not just about textbooks, lectures within a classroom. It is also supposed to include a safe and supportive environment where students can thrive, develop their skills and hone their potential. However, in reality, especially in a state like Meghalaya,a significant gap exists between the facilities promised by schools and what the students actually experience. This thus raises an important question: Who is responsible for ensuring that schools provide the basic infrastructure and support that students deserve?
I believe in Meghalaya, the Directorate of School Education & Literacy (DSEL) is the main government body overseeing school infrastructure and facilities. This department is responsible for implementing national guidelines, such as those outlined in the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009. The RTE Act specifies the basic facilities needed:
- Safe and clean drinking water.
- Separate, clean, and functional toilets for boys and girls.
- Adequate classroom space and a playground.
- A library and necessary teaching and learning equipment.
It is the responsibility of the DSEL, through its district-level officers, to conduct regular inspections to ensure compliance. However, we are left to wonder if these checks do happen or do they occur only occasionally or if they do even happen. And if they do, is it announced in advance, giving schools enough time to prepare, polish and hide?
It’s a fact that many schools in Shillong, especially private ones run by individuals, often do not undergo these checks for basic necessities and as such things like safe drinking water, hygienic toilets, and adequate space are hardly found. If these basics are ignored, then the progressive needs of students in this digital age would naturally be overlooked. For example, a simple mobile locker system for securely storing phones during school hours would help balance discipline with student needs. Yet, there is little regulatory support for such modern amenities.
We wonder why we lack educational progress. How can we not, after all with everything else that has gone wrong in howwe implement our policies, It is safe to say that even here, it is the same. We have ignored what we are supposed to start with, that is, ensuring basic infrastructure and facilities that are progressive, student-focused, and well-rounded.
Another concerning and unregulated trend in many private schools is the constant imposition of fines for minor and unreasonable infractions. While discipline is important In any school, using monetary penalties as the main method of enforcing discipline is counterproductive. This approach does not teach students or have any positive impact; it only places an unnecessary financial burden on parents.
It is obvious that such practices stem from outdated disciplinary ideas among management and it needs to be discontinued. For fines to remain and be justified, an independent regulatory body should audit schools to assess whether such fines are reasonable and educational or simply a revenue-generating method that fosters a negative and punitive environment.
Another critical issue is the health and well-being of the student community. This should be a top priority for every educational institution. A student’s physical and mental health is crucial for effective learning. Proper medical and psychological support within schools is not just a suggestion; it is required by regulations and legal standards.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) mandates that every school must have a well-equipped medical room with a full-time qualified doctor or nurse. Furthermore, the Supreme Court of India, in cases such as AvinashMehrotra vs. Union of India &Ors (2009), has repeatedly stressed that ensuring the safety and well-being of students is a fundamental responsibility of school management. A well-equipped medical room and a qualified nurse should be mandatory in all schools to handle emergencies, from minor injuries to sudden illnesses. However, in our state, such concern is regarded as a burden to the school. Majority do not have a trained nurse and their medical room is a joke. Even when we look at the architecture of the school building, we can be sure that when a Disaster strikes like fire or earthquake, the majority of those trapped inside will probably not come out breathing. Health and safety is not considered a priority and the authorities do not care either.
It is also assumed that schools would employ and provide a trained counsellor. Especially one trained in the subject of psychology such that they are well equipped to handle a student/child Mental health who are still growing and developing to fully understand boundaries, identity, logic, decision making etc . A trained counsellor is necessary also to act as a buffer between the concept of discipline and freedom and to understand their limitations and boundaries to be able to develop themselves as a complete well balanced adult.
A full-time trained counsellor is essential for supporting students faced with many life-altering decisions each day.This role must be filled by a dedicated professional and not assigned to a teacher.
A teacher’s primary role often involves enforcing discipline, which creates a conflict of interest if they are also expected to act as a counsellor. The ethical principles guiding a trained counsellor do not align with those of a teacher, leading to potential conflicts. Students are unlikely to feel safe confiding in someone who has disciplinary authority over them. Professional counsellors adhere to strict ethical codes, with confidentiality at the core. This ensures students can express themselves without fear of their struggles being used against them.
There have been cases where intervention was necessary because there are some teachers especially in privately owned schools, who maybe lacked the proper training or have poor teaching aptitude and is usually those who acquired the job simply because they own the school, is the child of the owner or has some connection to the owners and management have used disciplinary methods that are questionable and inappropriate like publicly reprimanding a student, throwing personal insults or make vague and unsubstantiated remarks about the student future, personal life and even family.It is hence very important that every school have a trained counsellor independent of school management to be able to intervene, and protect the right of the child and act as a mediator between the Authoritative figure and students rights.
Another concern that parents face is the fee structure especially in private schools. As this is unregulated, private schools can charge, change, and alter the structure as they so please. Apart from fees, there is this habit of organising programs and concerts in almost every school where the burden of financial expenses falls on the parent. School concerts with mandatory Tickets, Drama and plays with Mandatory Charges for costumes at usually high pricing, the Knick and Knacks functions that usually mean that a parent should collect money, pay money and spend money is all unregulated and usually involves coercion whether directly or indirectly. No parent would want their child to feel bad, but not all parents can afford or even have the time and energy to entertain these voluntary coercions to the schools.
Thus, there is an urgent need for an independent regulatory and audit body to address these systemic issues in the current education system and hold schools and their management accountable and answerable.
This independent body should conduct surprise audits on infrastructure, health facilities, and hygiene standards. It should review schools’ financial practices regarding fees and fines. This body would ensure that school management is not imposing regressive policies or biased discipline ideas but is instead adhering to a progressive, student-centered approach. It should also be able to take action against schools failing to provide basic necessities and a safe environment for students thereby ensuring that students rights are defended and not infringed upon and also be able to ensure that the school management meets high standards.
The problem is that the Indian education system follows a “one-size-fits-all” approach. This just blindly assumes that every child learns the same way and at the same pace and as Counsellors, we recognize that this is fundamentally incorrect.
Research, such as Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences for instance, shows that human intelligence is multifaceted. Individuals have unique combinations of intelligences, including linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, and intrapersonal.
Education should cater to these different intelligences and aptitudes. However, the current system often leaves students with multiple talents and potentials feeling inadequate and unable to cope. Therefore, many drop out, underperform, or struggle to adjust and fit in because the environment does not nurture their potential or acknowledge their diverse talent, forcing them through the same narrow learning framework and standardized testing.
In conclusion, the education system remains troublingly backward. It is still tied to the outdated belief that a student’s worth can be measured by their performance on timed exams. This focus on exam scores discourages imagination, critical thinking, and creativity. But at the same time, the efforts made so far are not Progressive at all. Infact, the system is moving towards mass production of unskilled, untrained, unknowledgeable individuals who will not have a bright future but will only continue to be dependent and obedient to a flawed system.
True education should empower, not constrain. We live in an age of technology and advancement, and a complete overhaul is necessary—from ensuring clean, hygienic toilets to rethinking how we assess talents and potential to improving our syllabus and learning techniques to empower and not enslave. In Meghalaya especially, there is a dire need for an independent body to audit and hold schools accountable and adopt a visionary approach to the curriculum that celebrates diverse thinking and abilities. Every child deserves the opportunity to reach their unique potential, not be treated like potatoes stuffed tightly in a sack.
(The writer is a seasoned counsellor and former Principal of Nepalpara English Mission School in Assam, and has worked as a Counsellor in both School and College setting in Shillong. He can be reached at roneymlyndem@gmail.com)
