According to the ASER report, the proportion of children enrolled in tuition has increased from 2018 to 2021, regardless of grade, school type, or gender.
As per the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2021 released on Wednesday, there are fewer students registered in government schools (42.7%) than private schools (51.2%) in Maharashtra who engaged in learning activities through online education at home.
This has impacted students’ learning abilities because, in comparison to 2018, more students in the state now rely on private tuition. In Maharashtra, the number of pupils receiving private tuition has climbed by 6.6%, according to the data.
The report was published by the NGO Pratham, and it rated all Indian states on a variety of criteria.
The proportion of students paying tuitions grew from 2018 to 2021, according to the research, independent of grade, school type, or gender.
“At the moment, about 40% of Indian students and 20.7% of Maharashtra youngsters attend paid private tuition classes. The proportion of children who attend tuition classes has increased the most among youngsters from low-income families. “Taking parental education as a proxy for economic status, the proportion of children with parents in the ‘poor’ education group who pay tuitions increased between 2018 and 2021,” as per the research.
The report also points out that the number of children taking tuition lessons varies depending on whether or not schools are reopening, with tuition classes being more common among children whose schools were still closed at the time of the poll.
According to the research, 14.2% of Maharashtra students received private tuition in 2018, and that number has risen to 20.7% in 2021.
The research stated, “This difference in tuition-taking is higher in higher courses than in lower grades.”
Private tuitions rise in sync with competition, according to Dinkar Temkar, state education director (primary).
“Previously, students were admitted based on their class 12 grades, but today competitive examinations are required for disciplines like as engineering and medical.” As a result, the demand for private tutoring has grown. Furthermore, due to limitations, many government institutions were unable to adopt interactive teaching methods when providing online education. Because many government schools cater to children from rural areas who face a variety of obstacles, the percentage of interactive activities in government schools has decreased in the previous two years,” said Temkar.
According to Harishchandra Gaikwad, president of the Pune district principals’ association, private tuition is becoming more popular.
“There is a growing trend among parents to enrol their children in private tuition. Gaikwad stated, “Teachers in government schools are experienced and take pride in educating students.”
According to the data, since 2018, there has been a 9.2% increase in student enrollment in government institutions in Maharashtra for students aged 6 to 14.
Mukund Kirdat, a city-based education activist, stated that the increase in student enrollment in government institutions could be temporary.
“There has been an increase, but it is not significant.” There are only about 1,500 children registered in government schools in Pune alone. This trend might be observed as a result of the pandemic and financial challenges,” said Kirdat.
