The problem with schools: Growth in pvt coaching reflects systemic decay

The government recently released highlights from the Comprehensive Modular Survey of Education, part of the 80th round of the National Sample Survey, conducted in April-June. Several aspects of this study are of interest. For example, two-thirds of students in rural India are in government schools, while in urban India the reverse is true, with 70 per cent of students in private aided or unaided schools. One major concern that deserves greater policy attention arising from the report is, however, the unchecked growth of private coaching. According to the survey, average expenditure per student on private coaching is over ₹2,400 a year. In urban areas and for higher-secondary students, that rises to almost ₹10,000 — a significant proportion of the median household budget. In rural areas, over a quarter of students are enrolled in coaching classes; the proportion in urban areas is more than 30 per cent. This is up from 17 per cent and 26 per cent, respectively, in 2017-18. 

There could be varied cultural or other reasons for growth in private coaching. For example, the east has a far higher enrolment rate than the west. But at its root, this reflects poorly on the education infrastructure in India — not just government schools but also private schools. That even the latter are not considered sufficient to prepare students for the competitive pressures is a sad indictment of the broader system. Revenue growth in private coaching in recent years underlines this. Market-research agencies say it will double further between 2024 and 2033, ending up at almost $8 billion in value. Meanwhile, learning outcomes have remained weak. The Annual Survey of Education Report (Aser) for 2024 suggests that less than a quarter of Standard III students in government schools in rural India could read a Standard II-level text. Similar problems are associated with quantitative skills, with only a third of Standard III students able to solve a simple subtraction exercise. India no longer participates in international comparisons — under the Programme for International Student Assessment — for learning achievement in schools. The last time it did, it ranked 73rd among 74 nations. 

Under such circumstances, it is not surprising that parents are turning to private coaching for assistance. Yet that has its own pitfalls. The industry has had its share of high-profile disasters — fraud allegations were levelled, for example, at former edtech leader Byju’s. But even at retail, grassroots level, there is minimal regulatory control and no reliable standards. Parents of teenagers in urban India have no clear idea what they are receiving in return for the ₹10,000, on average, they are spending on coaching. In some other countries, explosive growth in private coaching has had to be culled by state action. The Chinese government, for example, practically shut down the $100 billion private-tutoring business by banning for-profit coaching on the core-school curriculum, as well as imposing timing and licensing restrictions. India cannot go that far, but it will have to work harder on improving school quality. The first step should be to link teacher pay and tenure in government schools to achievement, which should once again be benchmarked to international standards.