Is education is a business? Do it is supposed to be?

India
August 20, 2010 1:02am CST
Like a continuation to an earlier post, don’t you think education is a business now? It is a pure business aiming profit as the motivation, instead of providing better and quality education? How do you agree with this? Basic education to be provided free of cost or subsidized upto a certain standard. How is educational system working in your country? Would like to know more on this from you. Thank-s
1 person likes this
14 responses
@andy77e (5156)
• United States
21 Aug 10
Yes, and yes. People do not do things unless they can profit from it. Doesn't matter what it is. If you were not profiting from your job right now (earning more money from the job, than it cost you to work there), you would not work there would you? Why would educators be any different? Profit motive always works. Sweden for example, used to have a very public, government run education system. It was horrible. Now they have opened up the education system to private 'for-profit' schools. Now most of the students go to privately run schools. Why? Because the schools that put the most effort to make sure the school is clean, safe, and good at educating, are the ones that are motivated by profit. Parents do not send their kids to schools that do a bad job. So if a private school wants more money, they must have the best school, or people leave. America is a prefect example of a non-profit motivated school system. We spend more money on students, than any other advanced nation, and yet our students are the least educated.
@andy77e (5156)
• United States
24 Aug 10
Fresh air?? 0.o
• India
24 Aug 10
Hi dear, Nice words. All are ending up in a profit. Otherwise, there is no existance. What is free now? Nothing. All are to be paid. Even for fresh air also. Regards Thank-s
• China
21 Aug 10
hi,i guess the education is developing,Which in the end will be totally commercial.In my country,education was fully free and students were provided free dining ,free books and even firm salary. Of cause,this happened 20 years ago.Nowadays,cost of education is bigger,for example ,a civilian family with their all is just to pay universal for a child'education.
• India
24 Aug 10
Hi dear, Yes, I remember. In my olden days, even for me also, education was quite free like and provided better and quality education. Now the school itself has changed to a bigger college and the fees that they are charging is not affordable to ordinary parents. Regards, Thank-s
@hotsummer (13837)
• Philippines
21 Aug 10
i think the schools should earn also . but they should sacrifice sometimes , that they should sacrifice earnings more to providing better benefit to students. that they should earn well to get the due payment or earnings that is due them. but once they have already more than enough earning or profit the extra earning or profit they get should be allocated better eduction to the students and also to provide scholarship or to lower the tuition fees for students. sometimes i wish that i can own a school that can earn just so to provide a good school for students where there is good environment for students and where there will be pace inside the campus and there won't be bullying and where students can focus on studies than joining fraternities. i don't think that the school need to earn more and more, i think it will be good to schools and to students if they will provide quality education that will be more affordable to as many people as possible.
• India
24 Aug 10
Hi dear, They earn to their existence. It is an old fashion. Now earn in double and more is the principle. If it considered in the category of business, only one motivation : that is profit. A better service is mandatory, but how far, it is upto the students. If they are efficient enough, they will exploit, other wise the students will get exploited. They will expenad theirown requirements. Basic amenities and utilities were still far way. If they are provided, they will be over charged also. Thanks for your comments. Regards, Thank-s
@juggerogre (1653)
• Philippines
21 Aug 10
Education should be a right not a privilege. Its not supposed to be a business. Here in our country there are some Universities that are subsidized by the government meaning a part of the tuition is paid by the government. This is good since it is much, much, much cheaper than private universities. But the problem is the budget given by the government is not enough to provide a quality education to the students. Most of the classrooms have not been improved. Insufficient books in the library. Not enough computers to be used by the students. I am very proud to graduate from one of the top state university here in our country so I know that government is still lacking in supporting these schools.
• India
24 Aug 10
Hi dear, Hope our dream also become true one day. Your comments are valuable and nice one. Thank you for your comments. Regards, Thank-s
@rosebinas (180)
• Philippines
21 Aug 10
Hello my friend! Everything in this world is now a business. As to education, regardless of what country you are from, the more money you have the better school you could send your children to and the better quality of education your children get to enjoy.
• India
24 Aug 10
Hi dear, Yes, why should only education to be keep separated. This may be the reason why the educational experts do it in their own way to make higher profits. Thanks for your comments. Regards, Thank-s
@DoctorDidi (7018)
• India
20 Aug 10
It is totally a business now,I think and both the guardians and the teachers are responsible for it. As the middle class families who are a prey to this business have enough money to spend for their children, the teachers try to squeeze money from them in the name of 'coaching classes' where emphasis is geven on getting more marks instead of basic knowledge. As a result the present day students secure good marks which were nothing but a dream in our times in the fifties or sixties or seventies but lack in a clear conception of the subjects concerned. Unless & until the guardians can be free from this illusion of marks oriented teaching, this business of education cannot be stopped at all. Moreover the government should come forward & make arrangements for free education to all. Public awareness against this business is also very essential.
• India
25 Aug 10
Hi dear, We all have different and effective suggestions and recommendations from our experience. As we all know, the board of exams and the universities, the controller of schools and colleges are running as per the instructions provided by the government only. The government authorities are marked several new and modern methods for the implementation. But from the top to bottom, there are a lot of mis-appropriations. Proper management and productive methods are not yet implemented. The officials are spending crores for the research and wasting a lot of money in the name of the same. Who is benefitted? A few selfish people who are money motivated are getting the fruits out of it. We could have reached a better position since independence. We have all the facilities and infrastructure around. But all know, this is enough and we can hope, things will change in the coming times. As there is rich and poor is existing around, the imbalance of economic conditions will create a major clash among the haves and have notes. The government know all the things. But due to our 'excellent' political situations, we cannot any good out of it. Regards, Thank-s
@SHAMRACK (8576)
• India
20 Aug 10
Dear Suresh Gopi Sir, As I am born and had my studies in Kerala, from my experience I could see that lots of students go out of State for better courses and other studies. Some lack the fincial capacity to go further. I do agree that basic education should be provided free of cost. Moreover in Indian schools mostly adopt a western culture parttern of studies. I would love to see the age old, vanishing and very very rare type, the Gurukula system of education where the students are also given an overall development as human. I feel we should include our Indian culture in our studies too. To some places education is a business.
• India
20 Aug 10
Hi dear Shamrack, I think you know that I am not Suresh Gopi. If not, please consider. I have my own photo till last week. I place this one for a change only and will keep changing. I like him very much as a person and as a good actor. Not with a fan type of attraction. As a person who touched me a lot from many of his acting. However, thank you so much for your post and comments. As and when time passes, we need to move accordingly. But only issue is that we are moving along with the errors. Not even trying to filter the wrong things at times. The new systems are good and there are many advantages. Now, it is practically difficult to go back to the age of Gurukul system. Because we know that how many lakhs of children are getting admission for the 1st standard. The growth rate and the growing tendency has changed. The only thing is that understand what is happening around and accept them in a macro level. Accept the facts and plant systematically and implement. If we going to discuss, it is never ending. As you know everything evidently, there are people taking chances like a fox, from all such things. Hope, we will meet again. Be around. Regards, Thank-s
@AvI0907 (230)
• Malaysia
20 Aug 10
For me education can become a business since the world is fast paced changing to getting hyper technology era.. One of my friend is a teacher for primary school. He goes for teaching as usual from 7am-2pm and after that he will rush for own business which is provide tuition class. In a month, he can earned more than 15k where his audience target is from primary school students. Im was shocked after heard about this matter because i never ever knew that in education field can let someones' earn much money.. So, do not simply say education is not a good career for earn a big amount of money. In fact, there is wide opportunity for us to gain high profit just with our knowledge. What i can say is "knowledge is the king of the world".
• India
20 Aug 10
Hi dear, Yes, you are absolutely right. There are people who does the same and makes a lot of money from it. But as education is a fundamental requirement and starts with a pure base on this, the country's government has to provide basic education with free of cost upto a certain age or certain standards. As you said, my carrier started as a teacher and served as a teacher for 2 years and I changed the profession later on. But the system has changed a lot. As you mentioned, in city areas people used to make a better income as a side business by providing tuitions and other ways. Two children from my home is going for private tuitions and the teacher earns 20 times more than her husband earns. I am not talking about tuitions or tutorials. The system of education that currently we adopted for the betterment of children is to be modified. Regards and thank you for your comments. Thank-s
@ddaguno (3107)
• Philippines
20 Aug 10
there is a business side to all school institutions. and it very hard to keep a school if you dont make profit from it. It is hard to keep good teachers if you cant give them a good salary and their salaries come from the fees that you charge the students. when i was in college, it was easy for me to criticize my school when we had to pay for so many things, but now that my parents are asking me to manage our foundAtion (school), i found out that it is not easy to manage a school and because we dont charge much it is hard to make improvements.
• India
20 Aug 10
Hi dear, I know educational institutions have expenses also not just small ones they have huge expense heads especially for land, building, furniture, and other associated expenses. Also they have to pay for the faculty and other staff, etc. Considering many are of these are one time investment and the fees they are collecting is more compared to their expenses. The salary they normally provides is also comparatively less only. They used to accommodate the students, more than what they can. May be 2000- 3000, as per their facility they can provide. Also, many of the schools used to demand for a good amount of donations at the time of new admission. If compared with the number of students with the expenses per head ratio, they make more than 50% profit in a year. So, the marginal profit for a long period is more. Also, many schools and other institutions used to provide books, uniforms and other student related things to the students with the same rate of market price, where as they get with very less price in mass purchasing of the same. In this way also they used to collect an up normal profit. What to say, if they go the profit making in their mind, education is merely a business and nothing else. It is as good as a stationary shop someone is running. Regards, Thank-s
• United States
21 Aug 10
I am a firm believer in education, not so much for society but for personal satisfaction. I did see a documentary the other day where it totally portrayed how education is only pushed so that people are obligated to pay the high tuitions. I have to ted to agree as during the last - nine months that I have scrounging for a job instead of getting interview calls I am bombarded with people offering opportunities on how to get student loans. Ugh!
@mauie0918 (337)
• Philippines
24 Aug 10
Education is of course one kind of a business. How can they make the facilities of the school better if there is no money involve, right? Of course, Teachers provide good quality education for their students. Giving a good quality education needs a good pay for the teachers and high quality of facilities that's why there are increased of tuition fees for the private school. Maybe these are just some reasons but for Public schools, we don't have to pay much here.
• India
20 Aug 10
Education is a business now.If anyone wants to start any business their first option will be to open a school or college bassed on the amount they are going to invest because if you get donation for every admissions you can get back your investment with a huge profit over a short period of time say 2 or 3 years.More over in places like this there will ba poor quality of faculties and infra structure that is why Today out country's students are not performing well with technical aspects
• India
25 Aug 10
Hi dear, You are right. The management schools are allowed to do such things by the Government. Not only just schools, there are many engineering colleges, technical schools and colleges, medical and technical institutions are coming up with profit motivation. The donations and the fund they accept before admission itself is so huge and the cannot be able to afford to ordinary people. The support by the govt. is another reason for this. As long as the govts. are getting their share, they will not be so strict on such things. Also, qualified faculty and experienced teachers are also may not be available as the teaching faculty also provided the job through donations. So, the system currently in practice is mainly motivated by profit or money making only. It is confirmed. Regards, Thank-s
• India
20 Aug 10
Yes education is purely a sort of business where they can earn a lumsome amount in a short period of time. Once it was considered as a holy field where people like Dr. Muthulakshmi, Dr. M.G. Ramachandran rendered a worthful service to the public. Now a days the quality of education is not supposed to be a good one. The cost of studying in an institution is too high. Most of the poor people couldn't make their dreams come true.
• India
25 Aug 10
Hi Kavita, You are true. I am not directly know what MGR and Muthulakshmi are done for education. I know MGR has a vast vision on education and he had achieved a lot modifications and modernization in the field of education. Still, the fast growing demand for education is to be controlled with a unique and error free mechanism to provide better education in a cost efficient manner. Thank you for your comments. Regards, Thank-s
@lexclark (21)
• Philippines
20 Aug 10
As I see on some schools, education today is purely business. Some would recommend books so that the teachers can have a commission, others said if you expect your child to be brilliant, enroll them on a much expensive school. It's okay if you have bigger income but if you have less, you have no choice but to enroll the child on a public school and don't expect him to be as brilliant as the one on an expensive school.
• India
20 Aug 10
Hi dear, Here everyone wants to be brilliant. So that we also keep a move of brilliant steps ahead to have a brilliant future. The movement of some people's brilliant ideas are the result of such things. Hope we will get some brilliant future in this way. Thanks for your response and comments. Regards, Thank-s