Sector Reform in School Education:

Way Forward

Pankaj S Jain

Gyan Shala

pjain2002@yahoo.com

Current Status

• The performance of both public and private sector school systems is unacceptably bad.

– ASER Reports of 2007-12

– PISA- 2009

– NCERT Studies

– ASSET (EI)

– Karthik-Venkatesh Study

• India is spending no less than the developed World average on Elementary Education

– Public+ private spending of around 2.2 % of GDP

Public Sector has introduced all known policies for improvements

• Highest level of incentives to teachers

• Worldwide norm for teacher education

• Largest mid-career teacher training

• Largest system of academic support to teachers, SCERT-DIETs, BRCs & CRCs.

• Reasonable PTR under RTE

• Reasonable infrastructure under RTE.

• Biggest package of students incentives as mid-day meal, scholarships, etc.

• Free supply of Books

Structural Constraints on Private Sector makes market based solution infeasible

• No return on capital is legally allowed.

• Growth and Capital influx is possible through – ROI on school estate by builders

– Academic entrepreneur owned single school, which allows living wage to the owner.

– Charity show-pieces

• Hence voucher/cash transfer of household income growth through markets too will not work.

Sources of Lessons & Policy Lessons • Continued preponderance of public school system

World over in best performers.

• Emerging trend of PPP management for school improvements (USA, UK, Sweden)

• Telecom, Infrastructure, and AMUL system

• Systemic-sustained Effort to use PPP to develop new institutional capability. – PPP for foundation stage

– PPP for quality improvement interventions.

– PPP for Overall School Chain management.