Unequal division in private schools

Updated on: Thursday, March 10, 2011

At a time when Women’s Day is being celebrated with much fanfare world over, India has a long way to go when it comes to ‘educating Sita’. While a growing number of parents across rural India have started sending their girls to school, there is a countrywide preference for sending boys to private institutions and girls to government schools. Educationists feel this has a lot to do with the perception that private schools are better than government schools, and if one has to spend on education, the perceived return on investment is higher for a boy.

According to the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2010, one of the most authoritative private surveys for rural India, the percentage of girls in government schools is higher than boys in the seven to 14 age group. On the other hand, the percentage of boys in the same age group is higher in private schools. Rukmini Banerji, director of the ASER centre, said: “When it comes to making a choice, families have probably decided to send their daughters to government schools and sons to private schools, as there is a popular perception that private schools are better than government schools.”

While the gender divide exists in most states, it is almost negligible in Maharashtra and Bihar, far less than the all-India average. The figures come as little surprise for Maharashtra, known to be a more progressive state, but Bihar has seen a dramatic narrowing in the gender divide.

Banerji said, “The figures for Bihar are remarkable. There is a huge improvement in the enrolment of students at school when compared with the ASER data for 2005. The last five years have seen more girls at school. This is largely due to targeted government policies aimed at improving access to education, as well as reducing the gender divide.”

Sonia Gill of the All India Democratic Women’s Association points to the fact that there are far fewer private schools in Bihar. Discussing the findings of the study Gill said: “Private schools are a lot more expensive than government schools. Parents would probably choose to send their sons to private schools, if they had the money. They feel that private schools deliver better quality education and are more career-oriented.”

The figures for most states across the country are in sync with the all-India average, but Kerala has bucked the trend, with more girls being sent to private schools and more boys in government schools. Besides the obvious conclusion that women may be more equal in Kerala, Banerji points to the fact that Kerala has a large number of government-aided private schools, which, though counted as private schools, function more like government schools. “This is true for Maharashtra, too. In both Kerala and Maharashtra, the line between the two is rather blurred,’’ said Banerji.

Unequal division in private schools

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