10 Things to Know About Private School in India
1. The Right to Education Act, 2009 is a central law that governs school education across India, with 145 state laws and 101 corresponding rules.
2. Most regulations focus on infrastructure and inputs such as classrooms, minimum land, teacher qualifications, teacher salaries and fees, rather than learning outcomes.
3. Input norms for schools in India can be excessive, with the minimum land requirement to open a school ranging from 2,508 m2 in Assam to up to 4,000 m2 in Delhi.
4. Private schools are not allowed to be for-profit companies in most states, making it difficult for them to access capital and credit.
5. To open a private school, an essentiality certificate is required, which is subject to the whims and fancies of a bureaucrat.
6. Private schools are over-regulated and government schools are under-regulated, creating a ‘regulatory asymmetry’.
7. The National Education Policy has recommended setting up an impartial regulator to ensure a level-playing field and more competition.
8. Private schools should have more autonomy to access capital and credit, hire and fire teachers, and set their fee.
9. The National Education Policy has advocated for a disclosure-based regulatory framework to help parents make a more informed choice.
10. Private schools deserve to be treated as equal and the children studying in those schools deserve their choices to be respected.
Summary from world-education-blog.org
