It has long been assumed that responsibility for meeting the educational needs of poor people lies with the state. Yet in India low-income families are turning to private providers to educate their children. Education authorities which are starved of resources struggle to deliver education for all (EFA), and private sector involvement in serving the educational needs of poor student deserves wider discussion.

A report from CfBT looks at evidence from Hyderabad in India in order to challenge the assumption that private schools serve only wealthy families and are thus irrelevant to poverty reduction debates.

The World Bank estimates that 27 percent of all Indian children enrolled in schools are being privately educated. Figures from education authorities in the state of Andhra Pradesh show that 61 percent of pupils in schools in the capital Hyderabad attend schools in the private sector.

Competition between private schools is intense, yet most make a profit. On average, each school charges the equivalent of about £2 per month and has a student to teacher ratio of 29:1. Most pupils’ fathers are daily-paid labourers or market traders earning considerably less than the minimum wage. Thirty percent of their mothers are illiterate.

Researchers talked with parents, pupils and teachers in 15 schools drawn randomly from the many hundreds of private schools meeting the needs of low-income families in Hyderabad. They found that:

• Even though some government schools provide free uniforms, lunches and books, instead of sending their children to these schools, poor parents choose to pay fees, even though the costs for each child may be a tenth of monthly income.
• Private schools cover the whole curriculum and offer a wide range of extra-curricular activities such as science fairs, general knowledge, sports, music and drama.
• Most teachers in private schools are female, graduates and reasonably experienced.
• Parents are actively involved in choosing the best schools for their children and they like the fact that private schools use English as the medium of instruction.
• Pupils are generally content, are regularly given homework and are assisted by their parents.
• Private schools are subject to a range of comprehensive regulations, many of which are waived due to payment of bribes.

Official reports acknowledge the failings of government education for poor students. A government-sponsored study (the PROBE Report published in 1999) in four Indian states found that in half of the government schools no apparent teaching activity was taking place and in a third that the head teacher was not present when visited. Education officials acknowledge that private schools for the poor are growing, partly in response to these shortcomings. Yet government and international agencies focus their attention on government schools as the only way forward to achieve education for all (EFA).

The authors of the CFBT report call on government and international agencies to:

• Initiate a state voucher scheme to assist the poorest students to attend private schools of their choice – this should provide incentives to improve quality in government schools
• explore the feasibility of establishing an education services company to provide information about schools (private and government) to prospective parents and to assist private schools to gain accreditation and raise standards
• establish an education loan company to allow schools to borrow to finance capital developments
• ease regulation for schools: private schools are currently not allowed to borrow money for investment as they are not legally allowed to make a profit.

Source(s):
‘Private schools for the poor: a case study from India’, CƒBT, by James Tooley and Pauline Dixon 2003 Full document.
See also 'PROBE: The Public Report on Basic Education in India', 1999 Full document.

Funded by: CƒBT Research and Development Committee

id21 Research Highlight: 19 May 2005

Further Information:
James Tooley
E.G West Centre
University of Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 7RU
UK

Tel: +44 (0) 191 222 6374
Fax: +44 (0) 7976 403113
Contact the contributor: James.Tooley@newcastle.ac.uk

E.G. West Centre, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

The Centre for British Teachers (CƒBT)
60 Queens Road
Reading RG1 4BS
UK

Tel: +44 (0)118 902 1000
Fax: +44 (0) 118 902 1434
Contact the contributor: enquiries@cfbt.com

The Centre for British Teachers (CfBT), UK

Other related links:
'Inclusive education in India: a lot of talk but not enough action?'

'Private higher education in Kenya: Should the state support it?'

'Private education: the poor’s best chance?' from UNESCO

'Serving the needs of the poor: the private education sector in developing countries'