Monday, August 8 2005 17:15 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kolkata: Nobel laureate economist Amartya Sen today (August 8, 2005) came down heavily on the prevalence of private tution at the primary level in the metropolis and said it was a denial of the right to education.

''Primary school children taking private tution is something unheard of outside India. Even Bangaldesh is better off than us in this regard. I feel this is against the basic right to education,'' Sen told newspersons here.

Sen said the phenomenon of private tution had become deeply ingrained in the public mind.

''People have come to accept private tution as a necessity like eating. Its a question of mindset. And this is a problem common to students both in state-run and private schools,'' Sen said while releasing a report on the preliminary findings of the Pratichi Trust about the condition of primary schooling in Kolkata.

''There is an extraordinary dependence on private tution for almost anyone who can afford it, which is a great indictment of what state or city educational facilities offer to the children,'' Sen said.

Citing statistics, he said 73 per cent of the state-run primary-school children in the metropolis relied on private tution.

''While the pecentage is lower for the Kolkata Municipal Corporation primary schools and the Sishu Siksha Kendras run by the corporation, varying between 45 per cent and 50 per cent, the proportions would have been much higher if the parents had been less poor,'' he said, quoting the findings.

''It is also unethical for teachers to take money from two sources by doing the same job,'' he said.

Sen suggested improving the quality of education in schools as the only way to get rid of the malaise.

''Rather than outlawing private tution, the government should rethink about ways to improve primary education so that parents do not feel the need for private tution for theirwards,'' the economist said.

Answering a query, Sen said that he did not believe that there was much of a difference in standards between astate-run and a private school.

''In private schools, there is a difference between what the parents hope from them and what they actually give to the students. These schools are run on profit motive. At the primary level, the incentive of profit alone can not ensure a better quality of education,'' he said.

Describing as 'grim' the overall condition of primary education in Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and state-run schools in the metropolis, Sen said high frequency of absenteesm of pupil and low education achievement of the students were major areas of concern.

The study indicated considerable perental dissatisfaction with the schools and the performance of teachers, while the irregularity in teachers' attendance was another problem area.

Non-functioning of parent-teacher committees and failure of the inspection system of schools were other causes identified by the study for the dismal scenario.

''The study indicates that the initiative and sense of duty of teachers and the functioning of parent-teacher committees make a very big difference,'' he said.

Sen laid stress on reviving the inspection system, and urged the teachers' unions not to limit themselves in looking after the interest of their members. ''They should do what they can to reduce the negligence of some teachers which bring the entire community to some disrepute,'' he said.