UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 3 –Issues Relating to Development and Management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education).
Introduction
Education in India is legally guaranteed as a free right, yet families spend large sums to educate their children. While laws promise universal schooling, rising private enrolment and widespread private coaching have shifted education costs onto households. Recent national survey data shows that schooling expenses now depend heavily on where a child studies and where the family lives, raising serious concerns about affordability, equity, and the real meaning of free education in India.
Constitutional Promise of Free Education and the Emerging Reality
- Relevant Constitutional Provisions
- Article 21A of the Constitution, added by the 86th Amendment in 2002, makes free and compulsory education a Fundamental Right for children aged six to fourteen years.
- Article 30(1) – Grants minorities the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.
- Article 15(5) – Enables the state to make special provisions for socially and educationally backward classes, SCs, and STs in educational institutions, excluding minority institutions.
- The Right to Education Act, 2009, operationalised this guarantee by placing responsibility on the State to remove financial barriers such as school fees at the elementary level. Education was meant to be a public responsibility, not a household burden.
- Expanded vision under NEP 2020: The National Education Policy 2020 widened this goal by covering children from three to eighteen years. It aims to universalise education from pre-primary to higher secondary level by 2030.
Changing School Enrolment Patterns in India
- Shift from Government to Private Schools
- Government schools still educate the largest share of students, accounting for 55.9% of total enrolment. However, 31.9%of students now study in private unaided schools and 11.3% in private aided schools.
- This shows a clear shift away from exclusive dependence on public schooling, especially compared to earlier decades when government schools dominated.
- Strong Rural–Urban Divide
- Enrolment patterns differ sharply by location. In urban areas, 51.4% of children are enrolled in private schools, while only 30.1% attend government schools.
- In rural areas, government schools remain dominant, enrolling around 66% of children, while private schools account for 24.3%.
- Variation Across Education Levels
- In rural India, private school enrolment is 28.1% at pre-primary level, falls to 21% at middle and secondary levels, and rises again to 25.8% at higher secondary.
- In urban areas, private enrolment is much higher at every stage—62.9% at pre-primary, 55.3% at primary, 49.8% at middle, 44% at secondary, and 42.3% at higher secondary. Private enrolment declines as education level rises, especially in cities.
- Rising Private Enrolment Over Time
- Compared to the 2017–18 NSS round, private school enrolment has increased at almost all levels. In rural areas, private enrolment rose from 20.9% to 25.9% at primary level and from 16.7% to 21% at middle level.
- In urban areas, it increased from 50.5% to 55.3% at primary and from 41.8% to 49.8% at middle level. This steady rise directly contributes to higher education costs.
How “Free” Education Burdens Households
- Course Fees Even in Government Schools: Course fees are paid by a large share of students, even in government schools. In rural areas, 25.3% of government school students pay fees, while 98.2% of private school students do so. In urban areas, 34.7% of government school students and 98% of private school students pay fees. This shows that schooling is rarely cost-free in practice.
- Wide Gap in Annual School Fees: Government school fees range from ₹823 to ₹7,704 per year, varying by level and location. Private school fees are far higher, ranging from ₹17,988 to ₹33,567 in rural areas and ₹26,188 to ₹49,075 in urban areas, showing a sharp public–private cost divide.
- Monthly Costs Relative to Household Income: Private schooling creates a heavy monthly burden for families. Monthly private school spending ranges from ₹1,499–₹2,797 in rural areas and ₹2,182–₹4,089 in urban areas, equalling the monthly income of the poorest households at pre-primary level.
- Private Tuition as a Parallel Expense: Private coaching is widely used alongside regular schooling. About 25.5% of rural students and 30.7% of urban students take private tuition, with participation increasing at higher education levels.
- Rising Cost of Coaching with Education Level: Spending on private coaching is higher in cities than villages. Average annual coaching expenditure is ₹7,066 in rural areas and ₹13,026 in urban areas, rising to ₹13,803 and ₹22,394 respectively at the higher secondary level.
Concern Related to Education in India
- Inequality driven by income and location: Private schooling and private coaching are strongly linked to household income, parental education, and urban residence. Families with more resources can invest more, while poorer households struggle to keep up. This creates unequal learning opportunities across socio-economic groups.
- Dependence on private tuition: Many private schools charge high fees but employ underpaid and underqualified teachers. As a result, students rely on private coaching for academic support. Coaching has also become a symbol of status among families. This further widens learning gaps between students.
- Education as a household responsibility: Around 95% of education costs are borne by families. Government scholarships support only a very small share of students. This heavy dependence on household spending raises serious questions about the role of the State in fulfilling the right to education.
Conclusion
The data shows that free education in India exists more in law than in practice. Rising private enrolment and private coaching have made schooling costly and unequal. Strengthening government schools, expanding public financing, and improving in-school learning quality are essential to restore education as a right rather than a privilege.
Question for practice:
Discuss how the constitutional guarantee of free education in India contrasts with actual enrolment patterns and household expenditure on schooling.
Source: The Hindu
