The number of admissions from private schools to the committee’s schools has been steadily increasing amid allegations of declining standards of education in the Surat Municipal Corporation-run Nagar Primary Education Committee. In the last five years, 48,778 students from education committee schools have enrolled in private schools. Also, during the corona period, the maximum number of 13673 children left the private school and got admission in the municipal school. The number of students dropping out of private schools and taking admission in municipal schools has been steadily increasing and due to this the number of students in the committee has also reached 1.90 lakh. Education is becoming expensive due to the ever-increasing number that the level of education of the committee has improved. Such discussion is starting. Surat Nagar Primary Education Committee is thus a house of controversy but the level of education of the committee is improving for the last few times, besides the current rising inflation and even education in private schools is becoming very expensive, the attraction of private schools is waning even among the middle class. As a result, the number of students in Surat Nagar Primary Education Committee schools is continuously increasing amid shortage of teachers. At present the total number of students in Surat Nagar Primary Education Committee has crossed 1.90 lakh. Most of the schools have a house full condition, the reason behind this increase is that many students are taking admission in municipal schools after leaving the course in private schools. If we look at the statistics of the last five years, 48778 students have taken admission in Surat Nagar Primary Education Committee from private schools. If we look at the statistics of the last five years, the highest number after the corona period, i.e. in the year 2021-22, 13676 students took admission from private schools. Due to the fact that many people’s jobs and businesses were stopped during the Corona period, many parents took admission of their children from private schools to municipal schools as they could not afford to pay the fees.
Efforts to make government school students-teachers smart:
The municipality is trying to make teachers and students smarter along with improving the standard of education in government schools like private schools in Surat. As a part of this effort, education is being imparted on interactive (smart board) in private schools as well as education is being imparted by this board in Samiti and Suman schools. Teachers have been specially trained for this. Due to this board, teachers are imparting better education with less effort along with students’ interest in education. Students are taught through audio video of various experiments, examples and stories. With this type of method, the students do not get bored in the study and they absorb the education quickly as they are watching the information with interest. It is claimed that the level of education will improve as the students get less bored in studying. As this board is connected to the internet, modern information is available to students and students are also learning faster. Earlier this type of facility was only available in private schools but with the establishment of smart board facility in the committee school, the work of revising students has become very easy and effective. Thanks to the board, photos and videos can be shown directly from the net for reference while students are studying. Teachers of some schools in the committee are now using interactive boards to help students revise for exams. At present, the unit test question paper and its answer information are being shown on audio visual interactive board and study is being done. Exam preparation should be done manually. At that time some students feel bored but as the information related to the exam is given on the interactive board, the students are studying with interest.
Students are increasing in committee schools due to facilities like private schools without fees:
The Chairman of the Education Committee is saying that students are increasing due to facilities like private schools without fees in Surat Nagar Primary Education Committee schools. Chairman of the committee Rajendra Kapadia says, along with increasing the facilities in the school of the committee, to improve the level of education and starting computer subject and English medium schools, these students are taking admission in the school of the committee. Apart from this, many students are taking admission in the committee school due to the fact that the municipal school provides free materials including books, school bags, boots and gloves and mid-day meal is also provided.
