Following on the heels of the CBSE Board, the ICSE Board too is considering introducing free education to the single girl child (= a girl with no siblings).

What's surprising is that private schools have been told that they need to bear the cost themselves, and will not be reimbursed by the Board or by the Government.

One can see what's going to happen. Private schools will either start denying admission to the single girl child, or will require hefty 'donations' from generous parents before admitting such children to their schools. One wouldn't be surprised if they raised the fee for paying students as well. If this happens, you can be sure that enough parents of boys that are not wealthy will be subsidizing the education of girls, many of which may come from far wealthier families.

If these schools don't adopt some means to meet their costs, one can bet that the quality of education is bound to suffer. Fewer books in the libraries, stinkier toilets, paint peeling off walls, fewer computers, mediocre teachers and so on....

Parents that make the decision to send their children to private schools, make a conscious decision to invest the money in their children's future and provide them with quality education. Chances are high that a couple which has made the decision to have a single girl child will be able to afford good education for their only child. In fact, many people opt for just one child, so they can give this child the best of everything - food, clothing, shelter and education.

Take a look at education abroad. Private schools are incredibly expensive, and colleges, even more so. This doesn't mean poorer children don't go to school. They opt for public schools, and some well deserving candidates win scholarships to attend more expensive schools.

The thought behind giving free education to girls is no doubt noble, but completely arbitrary. It is obvious that such a provision hasn't been thought through entirely. There should be at the very least, a need-based criteria! What is the point of giving free education to girls coming from well-placed families? Yes, there are many families that don't emphasize education for girls, but there are millions of families that do! There are millions of families that can and will willingly pay for their daughter's education, especially if they have decided to have only one child. Why should they then not pay?

The schools that will be hurt the most by this provision are all-girls' schools. All boys' schools will feel no pinch at all. So essentially those institutes that are at present providing education to the girl child are the ones that are being penalised in this manner. Wouldn't a new school think twice before deciding it should be an all girls' school?

Take any girls' school that has around a 100 students in every year. After the introduction of this provision, the school will still admit only a 100 students. Yes, the number of girls applying to a particular school may increase, but the same number of students will get in. So the question of providing education to more girls by this scheme makes little sense, especially in private schools located in metropolises like Mumbai and Delhi. Perhaps this makes sense in the case of villages, where many parents don't send their children to school.

In our effort to spread education, let's not cheapen it. Education is the best gift any parent can give their child. It is something worth saving for, and worth spending on.