“RoE, RoCE and more ‘R’s”, November 17 has made some very valuable points about the need to bring in for-profit companies into the business of education. The current model where companies get into the business but have to do this in a circuitous manner is a defective model and, as the Lunch with BS points out, prevents the sector from growing at a rapid pace.
What the article glosses over, however, is the issue of quality. Anyone who has been to the private educational institutes knows they are nothing but sweat shops and teach nothing that is of any use to the students. Just put together the products of IIMs with the host of private B-schools or those of IITs with the host of engineering colleges and this becomes very obvious. So, if the private sector has to be encouraged, this cannot be at the cost of the students.
The government has to have in place very stringent quality checks before for-profit organisations can be allowed in.
Surya Gupta, Noida
Readers should write to:
The Editor, Business Standard,
Nehru House,
4, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg,
New Delhi 110 002,
Fax: (011) 23720201;
letters@bsmail.in