Status of Private schools in India
9:24 AM

DELHI: While the number of private schools in India (at 4.6 lakh) is less than half that of government schools (10.9 lakh),The
differencein the number of students studying in the two categories is marginal —13.1 crore in government schools vs 11.9 crore in private ones. Given the scale of the sector, the quality of education these schools impart is of immense importance to our human capital development.
THE SHIFT FROM GOVERNMENT TO PRIVATE SCHOOL
The share of government schools has gone down from Over 74% in 1978 to just over 52% in 2017.The shift becomes more prominent as the level of education rises. Even in rural areas private schools account for over a third (35.10%) of the total school enrolment.
THE FEES
Most students are at the lower end of the fee structure Of private schools —70% pay less than Rs 1,000 a month and 45.5% pay
less than Rs 500 a month as fees. Private schools, while reducing the government’s
burden, contribute around Rs 1.75 lakh crore to the economy.
THE SIZE
An average private ‘unaided’ school had 246 students on its rolls compared to 120 in an average government school.While over 65% government schools have less than 100 students, only 38% private schools fall in the category.
THE TEACHERS
While over 81% of private schools have at least one teacher per grade, 88% government schools struggle to match the one-teacher-per-grade provision.
THE STATE
The share of private schools in overall enrolment varies widely across states with some like-Goa (with 83.8% share of private schools) depending almost entirely on them while others like West Bengal (12.7%) and Bihar (14.4%) where government schools are popular. In 16 states and union territories, private schools account for over half the enrolment.
THE LESSONS
The learning outcome in private schools, needs attention like that in government schools. For instance, 60% of rural private school students of class V cannot do a three-digit division and 35% cread a basic class II level paragraph. Even amongst students fromthe richest 20% households attending private schools, only 56% of those between 8 and 11 years can read a basic class II level paragraph.The average score for class X students in private schools was below 50% in four out of five subjects.