Enrollment in govt schools, tuitions up in pandemic year: Pratham study

Enrollment in government schools increased and more children paid for private tuitions in 2021 when India was batting the coronavirus pandemic and had shut down for almost three months, said a non-profit’s research on Wednesday.

“There was significant increase in the proportion of children in government schools in many states. Time will tell if this is a temporary feature or more permanent feauture,” said the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) by the Pratham.

Nearly 30 per cent children took tuitions in 2018: nationally, the number reached 40 per cent last year, said the telephonic survey conducted in September-October 2021. In West Bengal, Bihar and Odisha, enrollment for tuitions was 60 per cent.

A smartphone in the family doesn’t necessarily mean a child has access to the device, said the survey, asking for education policy to note this in planning remote learning.

Dear Reader,

Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.

We, however, have a request.

As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.

Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.

Digital Editor