[Asia_news] ANU SOUTH ASIA SEMINAR SERIES

[barbara nelson]

ANU SOUTH ASIA SEMINAR SERIES
Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, ANU College of Asia and the
Pacific

Wednesday 11 October 2006, 2.00-3.30pm Seminar Room C, Coombs Building,
Fellows Road, ANU 

Private Initiatives in Secondary Education since 1980s in India

K. Sujatha, Senior Fellow, National Institute of Educational Planning and
Administration, New Delhi

India has witnessed a phenomenal expansion and growth of schools at all
levels since 1980s. There are about 147,000 schools enrolling 35 million
students at secondary level. Secondary education is the fastest growing
sector and acts as a conveyer belt that enables students to accrue higher
education and also supplies manpower for the growing economy. Until late
1970s private grant-in-aid schools were the major supplier of secondary
education but their share has declined significantly since 1980s. However,
the proportion of private schools (unaided) has risen substantially,
especially in educationally and economically backward states, regions and
districts. The growth and spread of these schools is particularly
significant in rural areas. Again, government schools have increased
marginally.

The present paper examines the extent and major causes of private
initiatives in secondary education; the reasons for the growth of the
private unaided sector, especially in backward and rural areas, and for the
decline of private-grant-in aid schools; the role of government (public
policies) in the entire process, and the politics behind dynamic government
policies; the impact of these changes on socio-economic, political process.
The paper is based on an empirical study covering all India scenarios and
four states (Kerala, Maharshtra, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh) that are
different in their levels of socio-economic development. It argues that
excess demand model does not really apply to the Indian context due to open
admission policy and high drop-out rate. A differentiated demand model
explains the genesis of private schools, but their growing predominance,
their differential quality and varying cost etc. points to the role of other
important factors such as English medium, social segregation, gap between
parental aspirations and delivery mechanism, IT boom and effect of
liberalization and globalisation, market mechanism, emulation of middle
class role model etc. Some of the consequences of increased private schools
include missing student diversity, new forms of inequities, ghettoization of
government and private aided schools with lower socio-economic group,
dwindling accountability and quality provisions in government schools,
corruption in government sector, sacrificing scarce income by lower class
for private school fees etc.

ALL WELCOME

Further information: Barbara Nelson, Director's Section, RSPAS, ANU
Tel: 61250283 Email: Barbara.Nelson at anu.edu.au