elc “all round education” and money

 Mrs Kaloo  asked for more money because elc claimed it needed more money in part for facilities to provide all round education of the highest international standards.  Please read  her letter informing us of the need for the fee increase.

What is the meaning of “all round” education? To me, it means academic as well as non academic pursuits. In schools, the two most common non academic pursuits are sports and music. 

Let’s  examine elc’s financial data on sports and music for 2007. 

Total spend on music RM1,683  (the amount is so small compared to the income received that my calculator just said zero percentage!)

Total spent on sports RM0, yes zero. (zero percentage).  ( see my post, BYO Javellins) 

(Total income of elc in 2007: RM9,005,413.00 (revenue) plus RM413,830 (other income) equals to RM9,149,243.00. That is over RM9 million)

Mrs Kaloo says elc is providing all round education of the highest international standards. She concedes that for this to happen money has to be spent on facilities.  This was part of the justification for the fee increase.  We see no evidence of any credible spending on music or sports in 2007. IN 2008 we are told that  elc does not supply sports equipment.  

    TALK IS INDEED CHEAP.

BYO Javellins at elc

The recent fobissea games in Penang shows how absurd our elc’s policy of not supplying sports equipment is.  In fobissea athletics, our elc boy was asked to take part in javellin.  In Penang it was the first time our elc boy had even held a javellin.  (elc does not have javellins).  How could elc justify not having such a basic piece of athlectic equipment for our children while at the same time  representing to us that elc is offering all round education of the highest international standards?

elc and money

I believe that most of the problems and issues we face with elc boils down to this. MONEY. 

Elc believes that it has the best intentions. That is why it represents to us parents that it wants to provide our kids with an all around education of the “highest international standards”. 

So I suppose that we can say that elc has an intention to do so. 

The problem from both a legal and moral perspective is  that mere intention is not good enough.  Intention must translate to action. 

When that representation is made, we can assume that Mrs Kaloo has  benchmarked “highest international standard” from an objective standpoint.    

To provide education of the highest international standards,  there must be appropriate action on spending on teachers, facilities and equipment.  This is most basic.

 If you spend RM144.00 on sports equipment, you cannot represent that you are providing all around education of the highest international standards.  This is a mispresentation.

If you have no proper proper budgets for arts, then you cannot say you are providing all around education of the highest international standards. Again this is mispresentation.

When Mrs Kalloo started the school with 6 students, it is alright to ask for donations for books etc and  not spend any money as obviously she did not have the money.

However when the school grows in  size to 600, ( a choice made by Mrs Kalloo) she can no longer think that it is “her school”. Parents have entrusted her to do the right thing with their money. elc has lots of money but refuses to even supply sports equipment.  That says something.

If there is one thing the so called PA can do is to beg Mrs Kalloo to spend 70 sen in the dollar for our teachars, facilities and equipment.  So Mrs Kaloo still makes 30 sen in the dollar which translates to millions. The PA should beg so that our kids can truly have an all round education of the highest international standards as promised.

Money Money Money.

elc teachers’ Qualifications-Positive Step Forward

Mrs Kaloo replied very promptly and agreed to my request to view the qualifications. The appointment was fixed for 11.11.2008 at 3.25 p.m.  I was 5 minutes late (again!). This time I was not reprimanded!

 I was given free access by Mrs Kaloo to view all the teachers’ qualifications and their relevant experience.

The fact that I was allowed to view at all is by itself a very positive step forward by elc.

Viewing of Teachers’ Qualifications

Following the response from Mr Ranjan Kaloo, I have today, 10.11.2008 written to the principal to view the qualifications of the teachers.

sorry, no disclosure of teachers’ qualifications on elcecho

 

In an article called “differentiated Staffing – qualifications-based titles as means to improve teacher recruitment and retention School Administrator,  Jan, 2001  by Arthur E. Wise”  the author says: 

“When patients visit a dentist, a doctor or a psychologist, they see evidence of competence in the form of certificates on the wall, testifying to their graduation from a professionally accredited program of study, their completion of a supervised internship and their receipt of a state license indicating readiness to practice.

 

 

This is not the case in teaching. The certificates are absent. Why? Teaching has long been thought of as a job anybody can do. If anybody can teach, why require a license or certificate?”

The author also says ” If schools were required to disclose teachers’ qualifications to parents, public awareness would be raised on this issue–the educational equivalent of a truth-in-labeling law” 

 

 

I fail  to understand the rationale or the reasons why elc will not make disclosure of the  qualifications of elc teachers on elcecho? Could someone comment why this would not be good for parents, or the school?  Is there some reason for not making this information public? Maybe I am missing something here.

I have been told by Mr Ranjan Kaloo that no parent however is prevented from viewing the qualifications and experience of the teachers by appointment with Mrs Kaloo.  I suppose that is a start?

Reply from Mr Ranjan Kaloo

reply-to-mtp-31oct08