The Impact of Privatization on Primary and Secondary Education in India. Privatization can be defined as a procedure of transferring assets from the public sector to the private sector. Public sectors are managed by government agencies, and private sectors are managed by individuals or any other non-government agencies. Education is a fundamental right for every human being. If you’d like to know more about the impact of privatization on primary and secondary education in India in detail, please keep reading the article below.
The Impact of Privatization on Primary and Secondary Education in India
Education is an important tool for the development of a country, and India is no exception. After the independence in 1947, the education sector was the top priority for the country, and various steps were taken by the government of India to provide education to the masses. Some areas that belonged to the masses, like elementary education, were still under the government authority. For private institutions, there was always a feeling that they take care of the quality aspect in a better way but are meant primarily for the elites rather than the masses.
In India, via the Right to Education Act, elementary education (from class one to eight) has been made free and compulsory for children in the age group 6-14 years. It can be imagined easily that free and compulsory education can only be provided by the government. Except for some non-profiting NGOs, most privately run institutions are meant for learners from rich families. On the other hand, private institutions state that they offer quality education for those who can pay the large expenses. The emerging differences between government and private institutions question the primary goal of the right to education.
In a 2022 report by Statista, it was stated that as of 2020, there were 1043 universities, 11,779 stand-alone institutes, and 42,343 colleges in India. Statistics published in LiveMint also suggest that the share of unaided private education institutes to the total number of education institutes has raised from 42.6% to 78.6% between 2001 to 2020.
Positive Impacts of Privatization on Primary and Secondary Education in India
As we all know India is a over-populated country. Privatization has helped reduce the gap between resources and made education accessible to all. A provider of education is a government responsibility, and a main goal is to create a skillful population; without the availability of private higher education institutes, the government would have failed badly at it.
Having private educational institutions helps the government fulfill the rapid increasing demand for education and several programs and courses as education needs more and more investment, which may avoid the financial power of the government. If thinking economically, privatization has made a positive impact in the education sector of India.
Some major key highlights are:
- Increased accessibility of education even in the remotest locations.
- Decreased financial burden on state and central government
- Generation of employment and income opportunities to educate youth
- Teaching skills that are highly demanded in the current job market
Negative Impacts of Privatization on Primary and Secondary Education in India
The privatization of the Indian education sector has relieved the government of its spending in the education sector. That is not the case for the populace, though. About 33.5% of respondents in the research agreed that privatization increased the cost of higher education.
Private institutes are known for charging high fees in order to increase their income. This leads to systematic corruption in the government, allowing providing institutes to increase their fees, making higher education more and more inaccessible to the poor and middle-income population. Private schools are five times more costly than government schools.
In common point of view, private schools are meant for the rich upper class people who can afford it. Education has become a product in the present era. Many private institutions hire employees on the basis of caste, religion, and region, which is considered unfair.
Some major key highlights are:
- Converted education into a business and profit-making commercial good in a materialistically-driven society.
- Changed education into a restless service, wherein exams, classes, and tests are held during holidays.
- Poor academic environment as a result of staff, non-teaching staff, management, and subordinates’ lack of cooperation and support.
- Discrimination towards the students and favoritism are common in private education institutions.