Private Primary Schooling in India: Growth, Scale, Scope and Structure (original) (raw)

2005, University of Newcastle Upon Tyne

Many believe that the lower economic classes cannot afford private schools. However, in most areas with large segments of the poor one finds many different types of private schools. Why do the poor pay for their children’s education when public/government schools do not charge or charge little? There could be many reasons – the quality of education, more relevant topics, or pure accessibility. This study is precisely for this purpose – to identify the factors behind the growth of private education, how accessible is it for the poor, why may they prefer it to cheaper public education, etc. There has been an increasing demand for privatization in education in recent years. Not only in developed countries, but also in developing. There are many reasons for this. One, increasingly in all aspects of the economy it has been found that greater efficiency levels have been achieved with greater involvement of non-government entities. If this can apply to sectors such as health, then the argument goes, why might it not apply to education as well. Two, the cash-starved state governments can utilize the services of the private sector, increase educational achievement and attainment, without potentially having to put in large amounts of own funds. Three, education institutions run by state governments tend to be centralized with standardized systems and content of education. However, private entities necessarily have to be more responsive to the requirements of those paying for the services. In that sense, private education could be more in line with the requirements of the students. But can private schools provide quality education at cheaper prices for all? The aim of this study is to analyze these questions using data on education, compare different types of institutions, who accesses which institutions, and why. The analysis of the secondary data and the survey data would be followed by an econometric analysis to have a better understanding of the causes behind the rapid growth of private education in the country. Further insights into the causes would also be gained from a survey of various schools, students and parents that is an integral part of the study.