Even though the data from the NSSO?s 66th survey round has been around for more than a month, analysis of it can still point out new and interesting trends. For example, across the board?rural and urban?the survey found that the growth in household expenditure on education has outstripped the growth in expenditure on food. Between 2004-05 and 2009-10, expenditure on food went up by 61.60% in rural families (from R307.60 to R497.09 per month), and by 62.60% in urban ones (from R447.41 to R727.49 per month). On the other hand, rural families saw their expenditure on education jumping 77.91%, while urban households saw this figure grow by 76.33%. There are several factors contributing to this increased spending on education. First, various government initiatives are making their mark in stressing the importance of education, and enrolment rates are rising across the board. Second, there is a marked trend of wages rising with higher levels of educational qualifications, something people have realised and therefore are investing more in education.
But there could be another factor at play here. The difference in fees between public and private schools could also explain why households are spending more on education. Pratham?s ASER report 2010 found that enrolment in private schools in rural India increased from 21.8% in 2009 to 24.3% in 2010. This, the report says, is a steady trend since 2005. With private schools charging much more than their public counterparts, this could be a contributing factor towards why spending on education has risen so much. If only we could improve the quality of teaching in public schools?as ASER and various other surveys show?that?s largely abysmal.
