KG school business booms

The growth of KG schools was due to inadequate number of government primary schools and shortage of seats in the city of 40 lakh people.

There are 156 government primary schools, 15 registered primary schools and 27 community schools in the city, according to the district Primary Education Department. Around 2 lakh students study in these schools. Around 70,000 children become eligible to admit themselves to orientation classes a year. But, these institutions have a capacity to accommodate only 40,000 a year.

Shortage of government schools resulted in the mushrooming of KG schools in the city to take the advantage of earning a great deal of money, sources said.

These schools have no affiliation with the education department. They are running without any registration.

Most of the schools sit in rented tiny buildings at every corner of the city.

The number of KG schools in the city is over 150, education office sources said. Though the number is more than that of the government statistics. Only 22 have registrations. Thousands of children cannot appear in the junior scholarship examinations as these schools run without any registration.

Besides, there is no government supervision on the schools.

The profitable education business is being expanded day by day.

Syeda Sanjida Tasnim, a guardian, said, "The expenditure of education, including admission fee, tuition fee, dress fee and other materials are very high."

"I have paid Tk 1200 for admission of my child in KG-1. Apart from it, I paid Tk 150 as monthly fee, Tk 60 for examination, Tk 50 for sports, Tk 50 for library and Tk 50 for scouts," she added.

Financial stability of guardians is considered as the lone qualification for admission of their kids in some reputed school, sources said.

The KG schools do not follow integrated syllabus. They have their respective syllabus prepared by the school authorities. But, most of them follow some textbooks including Bengali and Mathematics that are taught in the government primary schools.

Students of the government primary schools get all books free of cost while the KG schools purchase those from black markets ignoring the government directive. Later, the KG school authorities sell those to their students at high rate, sources said. The Ministry of Primary and Mass Education directed the authorities not to provide any government primary textbooks to the KG schools.

The students cram into the congested classrooms at the KG schools. Most of them have no playgrounds.

An education officer seeking anonymity told this correspondent that nothing happens in the KG schools except business. "Government should impose restriction on setting up of KG schools and formulate a policy on it to ensure quality education," he added.