The new guidelines for private schools specifies fee raise procedure but says little about improving the monitoring system for private schools.

Adoption of new guidelines for the private schools was endorsed November last year at the annual education conference

According to the new guidelines, proposals will be required to raise fee with clear and specific justification concerning utilisation of the money.

Education monitoring division will revise the past finance report of the school for fee raise approval. Dy. Chief Programme Officer with School Planning and Coordination Division, Yeshey Lhendup, said, “We may go to schools and do a desk review of the past performance. Depending upon it, we will approve the proposal.”

Today, school and the teacher performance are monitored according to the guidelines of the performance management system. Dzongkhag education officers visit the schools twice a year to access the performance.

Quality of education and the teacher performance are monitored based on students’ performance report. However, the guidelines, for both private and public schools, do not specify how the resources and facilities will be monitored in the private schools. Yeshey Lhendup said that with the new guidelines, monitoring tools will also be developed.

Tshering Dorji, a parent, said, “I think the government needs to monitor the fee seriously because it is not fair when people who can afford receive a good education, while others can’t.”  He added that difference in education would create disparity in the society.

Yeshey Lhendup said that the ministry has already initiated activities to improve school performance.

In 2015, the ministry issued an order that schools should have teachers with teaching certificate. However, private schools share concerns about the performance of the B. Ed graduates who the government schools could not take in and are recruited as teachers in the private schools.

The ministry also provides teaching training at the Samtse College of Education during school breaks. This programme is aimed at helping teachers, especially those in private schools without a teaching certificate.

Last year, six private schools were granted approval to raise fee.

Phurpa Lhamo

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