At first glance, the recent Allahabad High Court ruling directing government servants, elected representatives and members of the judiciary to send their children to primary schools run by the State government seems violative of individual freedoms. But it underscores the principle of equality of opportunity. ‘Let the sarkari elite get a taste of what it is to study in deplorably provided-for State-run schools; only then can these schools change’, seems to be the court’s somewhat blunt reasoning.

The ruling is unlikely to work on the ground. But it highlights the assymetries arising out of State withdrawal from public services. The decline in the quality of government schools, hospitals, ration shops and buses over the last two decades is linked not just to inadequate budget allocations, but also to the better-off sections ceasing to have a stake in these services. Government services deteriorate when they are accessed only by the poor who cannot enforce their rights against the State. In education, this leads to the poor opting for private schools, even if that means more economic stress. Studies by Pratham and the NCAER point out that private schools are only slightly better than government ones in imparting writing, reading and mathematical skills. Yet, this difference prompts an increase in private school enrolment in States such as Uttar Pradesh, where more than half the children go to such schools.

Most private schools are holes in the wall, while a few elite ones mould ‘future leaders’. Government schools are at the bottom of the hierarchy. If the court order restricts individual choice, so does a system that curbs access to quality education. Education must be State-led. For government schools to become the default option, they need better infrastructure and governance. The last can be ensured through parental participation – which, in turn, will work where caste and class divisions do not act as barriers.

Senior Deputy Editor

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