Should education, particularly schooling be delivered by the government only? Or can private sector play a key role? Inspired by the article 'Let’s Be Honest about Public Education: Busting Some Myths' By Siddesh Sarma  Prepared by: @sathyanand1985

1. Public v/s Private
Schooling System
The Eternal Debate

2. For Private schools
• Busting myths and the
double-speak on education
• Gurcharan Das
• https://www.hindustantimes.
com/analysis/busting-
myths-and-the-double-
speak-on-education/story-
Ozl6OZBxDzmVUWMevg
MSjI.html
For Public schools
• Let’s Be Honest about
Public Education: Busting
Some Myths
• By Siddesh Sarma
• https://thebastion.co.in/ideas
/lets-be-honest-about-
public-education-busting-
some-myths/

3. Fundamental question
Should education, particularly schooling be
delivered by the government only?
Or can private sector play a key role?

4. Category description
• As stated as mistaken understanding
about schooling systemMyth
• Consequent effect of the about
understandingBelief
• But, the actual fact supported by
dataTruth

5. Which is better?
• Education must only be delivered by the
government to serve the public goodMyth
• Private schools are stifled, forbidden,
license rajBelief
• India has the 3rd largest private
schooling system in the worldTruth

6. What’s up in the north?
• Education in advanced countries is provided
by the StateMyth
• Recent education reforms in these countries
have encouraged private initiativesBelief
• >85% of students are enrolled in state-run
schools in developed countries
• India stands at ~55%
Truth

7. Where are we spending?
• India made huge investments in
government schoolsMyth
• But outcomes in govt schools are pitiable
Belief
• Global average – 14.5%
• India spends only 10.6% of its public
expenditure in education (in all levels)
Truth

8. What is the outcome?
• India made huge investments in
government schoolsMyth
• But outcomes are pitiable
Belief
• No significant difference. It’s not the
school, but socio-economic background
that matters
Truth

9. What parents pay?
• Private schools are for the elite
Myth
• 70% of parents pay a monthly fee of less
than Rs 1,000 per month
• 45% parents pay less than Rs 500
Belief
• Unfortunately family’s ‘ability to pay’
decides whether their children have access
to quality education
Truth

10. Legal framework
• The law forbids a private school from making a profit
but most schools doMyth
• This single change from a non-profit to profit sector
could create a revolution & investments would flowBelief
• It is an ethical travesty to look the other way when
the truth is that a family’s ‘ability to pay’ decides
their children’s access to quality educationTruth

11. Progressive taxation model
• Private schools are for the elite
Myth
• 70% of parents pay a monthly fee of less
than Rs 1,000 per month
• 45% parents pay less than Rs 500
Belief
• Well-administered public schools with a
progressive taxation model can subsidize
the costs for the poor
Truth

12. License raj
• It is very difficult for an honest person to start
a school.Myth
• At least 35-125 permissions are required
• Most require running around and bribery
• Takes up to 5 years.
Belief
• Registration of a private school takes not more
than 6 monthsTruth

13. Where’s the profit?
• Running a school is no longer lucrative
Myth
• Poorly executed 25% reservation under RTI
• Control on fees  weakened the financial
health of the schools
Belief
• Affordable Private Schools (APS) make a
surplus of at least INR 10.5 lac p.a. (FSG
study)
Truth

14. Choice and competition
• Parents value choice and competition.
Myth
• Just as they pay for water, electricity and the
Internet, they will pay for a superior
education
Belief
• Don’t weaken public school through pro-
privatisation policy or making misleading
arguments about ‘competition’ and ‘choice’
Truth

15. ROI of private schools
• Opening up honest private school
education will require removing the licence
rajMyth
• Schools will only invest if there is
predictable regulation - freedom of
salaries, fees & curriculumBelief
• Besides fees, they charge for transport, books
and uniform — which are free in govt schools
• ‘Low-cost’ private schools operate by exploiting
teachers
Truth

16. Teacher’s salary
• The starting salary of a junior teacher in Uttar
Pradesh in 2017-18 was INR 48,918/ pm – 11X the
per capita income of UPMyth
• A vibrant private school sector will deliver better
outcomes for India and it will do so at one-third
the cost of government schoolsBelief
• Only teachers on the verge of retirement may
bring in the ~₹48,000. But what is wrong in the
government paying a professional teacher?Truth

17. Next education reform
• One, improve the quality of government schools,
and,
• Two, give autonomy to private schools
Myth
• The government must also separate its own
functions of regulating education and running
government schools.Belief
• The central problem facing education is one of
quality and equity, which cannot be solved simply
by allowing private schools to proliferateTruth

18. Conclusion
• Poor households are choosing low-cost private
schools only because the alternatives to them are
much worse.
• The solution for India’s masses, then, is not to
promote for-profit private ventures that will
continue to weaken a family’s finances;
• Instead, we must push to strengthen the public
alternative, which comes at no cost to them.

19. Thank you
Prepared by: @sathyanand1985