Have you ever wondered why education infrastructure is of utmost importance, apart from the fact that education helps to gain knowledge? It is because the function of education isn’t limited to it. Education is what shapes the entire future of a country. The education infrastructure in a country is usually what builds its future leaders, as well as the population as a whole.
However, academics aren’t the only thing that builds the personalities of the students. They also learn from several other factors, such as how the education sector is run. After all, learning is based on observation. This is why the education system in a country must be based on morals and principles which should be followed by the newer generation.
In the past, the education sector was more dedicated to the growth of the students in terms of knowledge, personality, ideals, etc. This is because back then most schools were run by organizations that cared about society. These organizations emphasized more on the betterment of the social conditions by spreading quality education among the masses.
On the other hand, private corporate schools have gained considerable popularity in recent years. These schools care more about their profit rather than the welfare of society. They have turned education into a moneymaking machine. Compared to the past, when education was more of a social service, modern corporate school education is more of a business.
The US is brought into conversations quite commonly whenever we need to compare something in our country with that in the foreign lands. So why does the education system in the US currently seem better? It is because, in the US, children receive free education till 10+2. On the contrary, school education in India costs the parents something between INR 15 lakhs to INR 50 lakhs(1.5 million to 5 million rupees).
The commercialization of education is doing more harm than good. Apart from the financial distress, it is causing to the parents, both parents and students are suffering from unnecessary worry and stress. What would a child learn from such a system? Rather than learning about the true values of education and their duties towards society, they would grow money minded.
The question which now arises is ‘Why are the parents enrolling their students in such expensive corporate schools?’. The reason is quite simple. These schools invest heavily in aesthetic appearance, they also employ quality graphic designers, animators, and marketers to create a good impression, which makes them look better than the rest. In services, it is difficult to judge the actual appearance, so parents get trapped by the visual appearances of quality.  Another reason for joining incorporate schools is due to the rapid urbanization of the Indian cities. Even the jobs have moved to urban peripheries, there are no established schools in the suburbs. The choice is between rural government schools, low-quality budget private schools, and corporate schools. The inability of government schools to meet the aspirations of educated tax-paying professionals is a major tragedy of India. Somehow, even capitalistic countries have never compromised on government or public school education.
This may or may not have anything to do with the actual quality of school education. But most parents end up getting the impression that as the corporate schools offer various additional amenities, the quality of education would be better too. Â Committed to providing their child with the best education, the parents end up spending their hard-earned money on admitting their children to private corporate schools.
Thus, the education system itself is distorted and manipulative. The children would end up believing this illusional system as the real form of education because they don’t even know what true education is like. Whatever they learn from the ‘corporate schools’ would seem to them as normal and as the truth.
Values are learned by setting standards through conduct. Irrespective of how much the teachers talk or lecture about value and ethics. It is the actual conduct that creates an impression in the minds. Gaming on values and manipulation by corporate schools will convey a different picture to the students.
The negative impact of corporate schools on society
This would distort the entire society over time and turn it into an extremely commercial system that doesn’t care about values and ethics. This isn’t the true goal of school education- it is the goal of selfish individuals who only care about their profit. It is not just the failure of corporate schools but also that of the political leadership, media, and bureaucracy in society. A political leadership, media, and bureaucracy that does not deliver on school education will not be trusted or respected by the people.