India’s school education system is witnessing a silent shift—private schools now educate more than 50% of school-going children, even though government schools are meant to provide free education under the Right to Education (RTE) Act. According to the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE+) 2021-22, out of over 25 crore students in India, about 12.4 crore are enrolled in government schools, while 13.1 crore study in private institutions.
This raises a serious concern: Why are parents—many from economically modest backgrounds—opting for fee-charging private schools over free government schools?
The Quality Gap Is Stark
Numerous surveys have highlighted the poor learning outcomes in government schools. The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2022 found that in rural areas:
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Only 20.5% of Class 3 students in government schools could read a Class 2-level text.
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Only 25.9% could do basic subtraction, compared to 44.1% in private schools.
Infrastructure isn’t encouraging either:
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Only 46% of government schools have functional computer facilities.
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Less than 25% have internet access.
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Teacher absenteeism, multi-grade classrooms, and outdated pedagogy continue to plague the system.
Misplaced Pressure on Private Schools
Rather than addressing these systemic issues, policymakers often shift responsibility to private schools. Under the RTE Act, private schools are required to reserve 25% of their seats for children from Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), which they must educate without charging fees. While the intent is noble, the execution often suffers due to delayed reimbursements and lack of support from the government.
On top of that, regulations cap fee hikes in private schools, limiting their ability to invest in quality infrastructure and teacher salaries. Meanwhile, government schools continue to underperform with little accountability.
The Core Issue: Lack of Political Will
India spends only around 2.9% of its GDP on school education, far below the 6% recommended by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The focus has largely remained on enrollment and schemes, but quality of learning has been consistently overlooked.
We must ask:
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Why is there no urgent mission to bring government schools up to par with private ones?
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Why is the state reluctant to invest in real quality reform—teacher training, digital infrastructure, curriculum revamp, and performance tracking?
A Call to Action for Policymakers
If government schools were genuinely competitive in quality, most parents wouldn’t feel the need to stretch their finances to enroll their children in private institutions. The solution is not to control or penalize private schools but to create a thriving public education system that earns trust and respect.
It’s time to stop treating education as a welfare scheme and start viewing it as a strategic investment in India’s future. Public schooling must be reimagined—not as a last resort for the poor, but as a system of excellence accessible to all.
Until that happens, criticizing private schools for charging “too much” is deflecting from the real issue—the government’s failure to provide quality education at scale.