Page 45 - EW February 2023

outcomes of children in primary/ele-
mentary education are going from bad
to worse. According to ASER 2022, in
rural India (which grudgingly hosts
60 percent of the population) over 50
percent of class V children can’t read
and/or comprehend class III texts,
and manage simple math sums.
“ ALTHOUGH IT’S DOUBTFUL

whether Ivy league Ameri-
can universities which gov-
ernment expects to establish
campuses in India will actually do so,
liberalisation of rules and regulations
relating to the entry of foreign univer-
sities into India is a welcome develop-
ment. Provided that all the freedoms Dhawan: level playing field call Gupta: "democratic policy framework"
to design their syllabuses and curricu-
lums, and determine tuition fees are steady, below-the-radar liberalisation schools. In the first decade of the new
also given to India’s private universi- and deregulation of Indian educa- millennium, these companies enabled
ties, to create a level playing field. The tion, especially the low-profile entry the promotion of school chains such as
pressure of foreign competition will of international school management Oakridge, Pathways, Orchid and GIIS
compel our institutions to raise aca- chains and imminent entry of foreign in India. Subsequently, there was a
demic and research standards, which universities has enthused perceptive lull in the entry of foreign education
is in the national interest. In the K-12 monitors of India education. Rakesh companies and brands following a
sector, the high fees that international Gupta, a highly qualified alum of IIT- period of policy confusion about the
schools will surely charge shouldn’t Kharagpur and the blue-chip Indian powers of state governments to regu-
be a matter of public concern because School of Business, Hyderabad, for- late tuition fees. Since then in recent
only the top 1 percent households will mer consultant with the US-based years, this confusion has been sub-
be attracted to them. According to a multinational consultancy, McKinsey stantially cleared up with most state
Private Schools in India Report 2020 & Co and currently promoter-director governments restricting themselves to
conducted by CSF, over 70 percent of LoEstro Advisors Llp, a Hyderabad- regulating tuition fee increases, rather
of India’s private schools levy tuition based investment banking and con- than tuition fees per se. This makes
fees of less than Rs.1,000 per month. sultancy firm, believes “an improved sense as parents admit their children
The uniqueness of India’s private edu- democratic policy framework” has into a school after ascertaining tuition
cation sector is that it offers relatively emerged in Indian education. and other fees. However, it’s quite
good quality K-12 education at every “Currently there is a global move- right that they shouldn’t experience
price point. Therefore, there’s no need ment towards consolidation in K-12 the shock of huge fee hikes. In recent
to fear or impose regulatory ceilings education. Several large corporates times, most state governments have
on private, including foreign schools,” such as Cognita and Nord Anglia (UK), enacted legislation to control tuition
opines Ashish Dhawan, promoter- Inspired (South Africa) and Global fee increases rather than tuition fees,
chairman of the Delhi-based Central Schools Foundation (Singapore) have prescribing differing formulae. An-
Square Foundation (CSF), who or- allied with education entrepreneurs nual fee increases have been restricted
chestrated the crowd-funding of In- in developing countries to establish to 10-12 percent in most states and in
dia’s high ranked Ashoka University high quality, globally benchmarked Uttar Pradesh to official inflation plus
(2014), and is currently promoter- 5 percent. This read with the liberal
chairman of CSF, registered in 2016 provisions of NEP 2020 has intro-
with an endowment of Rs.50 crore. “Pressure of foreign duced policy stability and encouraged
Although no dramatic legislation competition will compel our domestic and foreign private invest-
on the lines of the Union Budget of ment in K-12 education. Moreover,
1991 which in one stroke abolished institutions to raise academic the entry of international schools and
the industrial licensing and monop- and research standards” — educationists is also certain to raise
olies laws, has been passed by the Ashish Dhawan teaching-learning standards towards
Centre or any state government, the global levels,” says Gupta.

FEBRUARY 2023 EDUCATIONWORLD 45