Parents in India spend approximately Rs 20,000 in a year on education in government schools. At the same time, parents of students in private unaided schools spend more than double, at Rs 47,000 on an average annually, claims a survey conducted by Schoolnet India. These spends include- school fees, transportation and other expenses like infrastructure and classroom facilities.
The survey called, ‘Understanding Indian School Education Spends Landscape’, also adds that due to rising competition among students to perform their academic best, parents are forced to invest in after-school products and services like personal tutors, tuition classes, coaching for competitive examinations and more. The survey adds that on an average spend on annual school tuition fees in private unaided schools is Rs 27,000 compared to Rs 8,000 in government schools.
This study was conducted in collaboration with PGA Labs on the overall spending on a child’s schooling and education in India among private and government schools.
Additional findings of the survey revealed that 6 per cent of parents spend between Rs 51,000 to Rs 1,00,000 on education in elite government schools like Kendriya Vidalayas, compared to 28 per cent of parents that spend similar amount for education in unaided private schools. The data was recorded from 480 parents of students studying in government schools and 437 parents with children in private unaided schools (75 per cent attending “affordable”, “low-cost” or “budget” private schools).
Furthermore, the survey analysed the differences in spends between in-school and after-school education. More than half the families with children in government schools (56 per cent) spend less than Rs 15,000 annually on in-school expenditure, whereas they spend an average of Rs 14,000 on after-school expenditure. The survey added that 36 per cent of parents of students in private unaided schools spend more than Rs 50,000 on school education and 3 per cent of parents incur similar expenditures on supplementary education.
As part of the total expenditure on school education, 36 per cent of parents spend less than Rs 5,000 as tuition fees in government schools, and 12 per cent reported no spends at all. The survey added that 60 per cent of parents of students in government schools incur these additional education costs by spending Rs 10,000 or more on supplementary education products.
Sharing his thoughts, RCM Reddy, MD & CEO, Schoolnet said, “Access to quality education across the middle and the bottom of the pyramid remains an issue across India. Through our survey, we have seen a willingness from parents to spend on their child’s education and improve their learning experience.”
Arindam Ghosh, Head of Strategy, Schoolnet said, “Over the last two years, we have seen a significant increase in the demand for digital learning solutions, both in-school and after-school. With this survey, we are able to understand the magnitude of lack of quality education in schools, evidenced by increasing adoption of and expenditure on after-school products.”
source: news 18
