An alumna of the Delhi School of Economics and Calcutta University, Dr. Gunmeet Bindra is the first woman principal of a highly-ranked all-boys boarding school — the Welham Boys School, Dehradun. Earlier, she was the founder-principal of DPS, Jalandhar and Kanpur, and principal of Vidya Devi Jindal School, Hisar. 

Are you satisfied with the Union Budget 2018-19 allocation of Rs.85,010 crore for education?

Unesco’s benchmark for public spending on education is 4-6 percent of GDP. Our education outlay has actually dropped from 3.69 to 3.48 percent of GDP this year. Another worry is that new institutions are being encouraged at the cost of current ones. For example, the Eklavya Model Residential Schools initiative proposed in the budget is encouraging, but what has happened to increasing allocation for Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas? Also, there’s little to incentivise private sector participation in education. The need of the hour was a revolutionary education centric budget.

Across the country, state governments are increasingly interfering with the autonomy of private independent schools, particularly through fees regulation. What’s your comment?

It is imperative to define clear parameters to ensure that schools’ operational autonomy is grounded in accountability. Stringent fee regulations interfere with school budgets, not allowing room to spend adequately on staff salaries and training, sports and student development programmes. When regulations become interference, they curb growth and quality of independent private schools. Instead of suffocating private schools, the focus of government should be on bridging inequality by improving the quality of their own government schools. 

What are your Top 5 suggestions for reforming K-12 education? 

• Establish teacher training institutions equivalent to the IITs or AIIMS 
• Comprehensive curriculum design needs to be given priority followed by regular updates and flexibility for customisation rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. 
• Improve assessment practices to encourage student motivation and experiential learning.
• Make teaching a lucrative and attractive career option.
• Make schools happy learning spaces offering joyful learning experiences.