Absorb the following states fully: 75% of class 3 students cannot read text that should be readable by a grade below (Grade 2 Level). Just below 50% of class 5 students cannot read a grade 2 level text. A Little over 20% of class 8 students cannot read a grade 2 level text. This is the state of affairs after 78 years of India’s independence and five years after the new education policy, 2020 came into effect for its government school address students.
The situation is almost Identical for Mathematics. Two out of three class 3 students were still unable to solve the subtraction problems correctly. Among Class 5 students, the proportion of that who would solve the division problems have improved from 27.9% in 2018 to 30.7% in 2024, impleing that almost 70% of that thatm are Lagging Behind. Among Class 8 students, improvement in basic arithmetic rose marginally from 44.1% in 2018 to 45.8% in 2024.
Recently, the latest aser (Annual Status of Education Report) Public and there wash celebration from all Quarters on the Minor Improvements Recorded in the Learning Outomases of Students of Students of Students Sector but many experts argued that there was in fact very little to celebrate. Education has been the single biggest failure of successive governments.
The question is why. On this, there is an almost unanimous consensus. Almost Anyone One Speaks to In the K-12 Education Landscape will identify the same problems afflicting the government school system since the school system since it was freed from colonial rule in 1947. Areas, there are two big elephants in the room, one of which have been taken Note of in the new education policy (NEP), 2020 (Clerade by Cabinet in July 2020) and the other has a conveniently before.
The first big unresolved problem, from which originates the rest of the system of the system, and unlike most other public services like hospitals, is that India faces a big “Problem of PLENTY”.
As Things Stand, India has Over 10 Lakh Government Schools and Around 127 Million Children Attending these. Compare this to China, which (in 2023, according to the chinese government) Had 498,300 schools where 291 million students were enrolled. In other words, china have less than half the number of schools for a little over the number of students. This is the main problem, which finds its roots in the rte act of 2009.
The university access clause in the act has been to a situation where we have a large and growing number of under -resourced buildings and ofteen “SHEDS” Scholad Schools Across the Country. As Things Stand, there are close to 400,000 such schools across the count These are often just decrepit rooms where children can play or co-exist for a less hours every day with an adult overseing them. At Most of these schools, there are at one or two teachers any given day, trying to keep it all togeether for 50 or 100 students, who are accesses, grades, grades and levels of Knowledge and Understanding. A large number of these have just one full-time Teacher and Maybe One or Two Support Staff.
“Too many schools are the nub of the problem for India’s government school edifice. Alliance CEO, Amitav Virmani, Who has been working in partnership with the government for the last 16 years
He said that the government has to prescibe a minimum set of standards and define a school and then each and always government school has to adhere to these minimum standard. “A school is more than a classroom or a set of classrooms. This has to include a playground, some sports and extra-curricular facilites, computer labs among other facilities. Since Schools would be consolidated and therefore fewer, better transportation by the state must provided to ensure students can access these easily, preventing a Fall Innrolments.
This problem has been recognized in the nep 2020 and consolidation of schools has been encouraged by the central government. According to official data, there has been a reduction in the total number of government schools in India-from 1,10,5223 in 2015-16 to 1,01,7665 in 2023-24, a Fall of 87,557.
However, interestingly most of this Reduction Took Place Prior to the introduction of the nep. Only 16% of the schools shut during 2020-21 to 2023-24 (post the nep) and so the reduction cannot be attributed directly to the nep and its recommendations. It is hence not clear wheether this is active closure or consolidation at the behest of the states or just schools Emptying out of the person Options.
The second big elephant in the room identified by a range of people in the sector including from ficci-arise-or the federation of Indian chambers of commerce and Industry-ALLOINCE for Re-RE-AIDENING SCOLICATIONS
is the big character which the sector has been operating, which is that private schools are not for duty.
A Growing Lobby of School Founders and Ownes of School Chains are Urging the Government to Declare the Sector as for-Profit Accounting Everyone is Earning a Profit Out of it in any case. This would help to channel more funds into the sector and clean up the system as well. School owners are also pushing for more autonomy to fix fees. It would lead to an opening up of the sector, allow Bigger and More Authentic Players to Enter and Force the Government Schools to Compete on a more Level Playing Field.
Currently, Private Education in India Generates A Significant Amount of Black Money. It is no secret that school owners make money but maintain that they are not for duty. As Things Stand, Most Schools or Chains Operate Through a Trust or Society that is Not for Profit. However, Such Trusts Frequent Enter Into Several Related-Party Transactions With Entities that Supply Services or Products needed by the school.
These entities are usually owned by the promoter or founder of the school. For institution, an entity owned by the promoters may ove on which the school is bill and enter into a lease agreement with the trust. As and when desired, the Rental charged to the school is increased. This is one way for the promoter to earn while maintaining the garb of not-for-protrit.
Similarly, almost Anything required by the school – computers, hardware, software, desks, chairs and so on – is soldle to it by a company belonging to the fouleders or promoters of the School. At times, these transactions are at market rates and sometimes at inflated rates. In many private schools, almost all contracts handed out are inflated by 15-20 %, which is the promoter’s cut.
This demand from school owners have been conveyed to the highest level: the Chief Economic Advisor, The CEO of Niti Aayog, India’s G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant, Eventabh Kant, Eventubh Kant, and Economically, to the Prime MINIMIC Advisor ‘ Council. However, Since Education is a concurrent subject, the center can at best request the states to bring in legislation that allows schools to register as a corport body with a for-shoot structure.
At Least two states – Haryana and Maharashtra – Have indicated their willingness to do this. According to Officials Aware of the developments, where there is a growing account of the proposal at the proposal at the bureaucratic level, it may be Harder to Pusher POLITICAINS ARELIVES ARE Deeply vested in the sector.
A research paper submitted by an industry cohort to the government said: “The present structure drive adverse selection. The general human need is to make a return on Investment. Genuinely Service-Minded Folks in the sector, on average, the people who will come into the education sector will be willing to break laws to make laws to make an unde-tabble profit. “
The proposal to declare school education a for-profit sector is likely to meet with resistance also because there is a deep ideological schism over the issue. There are that who strongly argue that quality education should be publicly funded and free for all. They say that if private education is given free rein, there will be no incentive for the government to improve its own offering.
But many school owners live in fear of raids by government agencies and are unable to raise external funds for expansions. According to Vikas Jhunjhunwala, Founder of Sunshine Budget Schools, In the National Capital Region: “There is currently no in -in -incent for large corporations with deep pockets to steps to this sector” This to his mind explains why we don’t see big corporate names houses like the tatas in the education space. The “Not for Profit” Tag acts as a license in reverse: keeping out more serial and genuine players and allowing the more dubious or fry by night ones to prosper.
Thos vested in high-end private school business saying that the huge demand for funds for the sector needs a clean structure that allows for duty. This Single Move Can Pave the way for Credible and Trusted Names to Invest, Allow Foreign Investment To Come in, Banks to Lend and Energise The Whole Sector. It will also allow existing players to expand as they Gain more access to capital.
Moreover, if the government is keen to attract foreign investment, it needs to answer the fundamental question of why any anyone would invest in a sector where there would be no no legitimate returns. As long as someone is providing quality education at a reasonable cost, why should the government care where it is for-profit or not-for-profit. Once the sector is open up, competition will come in, there will be less Scarcity of Quality Education, and Market Forces will take over.
The opposing lobby has argued that free, publicly-funded, “Quality education for all” is an “ideal world” Scenario. For example, in the last four years, the increase in the number of private schools was 4 times that of public schools, leading to a fall in government school enrollment by 11.1 per cent. As against this, the total enrollment in private schools rose by 16 million students in the last four years.
Many Like TV Mohandas Pai, Chairman of Manipal Global Education and Former Director of Infosys have in the past Argued that If the Government Wants Wants to Be a Provider of Education, IT MUT MUT MUTARS Accountable, and adhere to all the norms that a private player has to. ”
Another interesting suggestion echoed by many has been that all government servants should be asked to educate their own Children in Government Schools. This, they argue, will be the quick. But some like sridhar iyer, former head of eye India foundation, said that the stipulation that government servants educate their own children in state schools should be accepanized with a dismantling of the kendra Vidyalayas and Navodaya Vidyalayas (Considered Better Than Regular Government Schools). Else, The Bureaucrats will send their own children to these and the rest of the schools will continue to languish.
Thos in the sector argue that the “ideological blinkers” that have long supported this Whole Charade of Private Schools Not Being for Profit Need to be shd and the reality that es starring Everyone in the factor Accepted. Only then will the education – Public or Private – Sector be in a position to Thrive.
