Staff Reporter
Guwahati: In spite of the best efforts by the state government for all-round development of the education sector, 40% to 42% of students in urban areas and 16% to 21% of students in rural areas of the state in the pre-primary to higher secondary level depend on private tuitions.
This was revealed in the central government's Comprehensive Modular Survey on Education conducted across the country. Regarding private tuitions in urban and rural areas for male and female students, the survey found that 15% of male students in the higher secondary level in rural areas and 72% in urban areas take private tuitions. Similarly, for male students in the secondary level, it was found that 63% in urban areas and 40% in rural areas opt for private tuition.
A significant factor that emerged from the survey is that private tuitions start from the pre-primary level itself. On average, 12% of students in the pre-primary level in urban areas and 3% in rural areas are provided private tuition. In middle education, 23% in rural areas and 45% in urban areas, on average, go for private tuition.
From the survey, it is apparent that more students in urban areas opt for private tuition than their counterparts in rural areas. One of the primary factors for this is the high proliferation of private English schools in urban areas. The parents are most often not educated to the level that they can educate their children at home, prompting them to send their wards for private tuition.
On the other hand, despite efforts like the appointment of quality teachers through TET, a section of government schools in both urban and rural areas are still unable to provide education on a par with private schools. As a result, parents are being forced to send their children for private tuition.
According to sources, this being a competitive age, parents want their children to be provided the best education possible. This is another factor leading parents to opt for private tuition so that their children are equipped to participate in competitive examinations in the future.
Assam has 33,875 primary schools, out of which 1,034 are in urban areas. Likewise, the total number of upper primary schools is 6,160, of which 5,855 are in rural areas and 305 are in urban areas, as per UDISE 2023-24. The average annual dropout rate in lower primary schools in the state during 2023-24 is 6.9%, against 8.49% in 2022-23. However, in the upper primary level, the dropout rate was 9.27% in 2023-24. The state government has been concerned with the dropout rate and has decided to set up a dedicated team to conduct a detailed study on the issue. Several schemes have been initiated by the government to encourage the development of education among various sections of the population in the state.
An education department official stated that the state government has set up model schools in tea garden areas and is rebuilding old school buildings, apart from providing other facilities, in a bid to rationalize the teacher-student ratio in schools. Also, different schemes have been taken up to increase enrolment and check the dropout rate. He, however, contended that the issue of private tuitions is the parents' prerogative. It is the duty of the education department to ensure a level of education so that parents do not have to resort to private tuition, he added.
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