The Private School Revolution in Bihar: Findings from a survey in Patna Urban

This study consists of three components:

• A census and survey of private unaided schools in Patna Urban;
• A random sample survey of 361 households;
• A study of geographical distribution of various types of private schools in Patna Urban

Comprehensive studies on the extent of private unaided school participation in educating children in India have been minimal. The common perception is that low cost private unaided schools have been mushrooming in all parts of the country, but there has been little research that looks at both the quantity and quality of such schools. Three empirical and seminal studies from the last decade stand out as the main contributors to the literature regarding recognised and unrecognised schools. First, Yash Aggarwal's study from 2000 which looked at four districts of Sirsa, Hisar, Jind and Kaithal in Haryana, and found a proliferation of private unrecognised schools. Second, Arun C Mehta’s study which considered unrecognised schools in the Punjab based on 2005 District Information System for Education (DISE) data, and finally Tooley and Dixon's research from north east Delhi and old city of Hyderabad on the quantity and quality low cost private unaided schools. However, a study that analyses the complete private schools' landscape within a city has up until now not been carried out. This study has attempted to fill that gap by exploring the what, where, why and how of private unaided schools in an entire Tier II city.

The findings of this study are revolutionary and have implications for the entire country in the wake of stringent regulations for private schools in the RTE Act.

To read report click here.

To read the Executive Summary in Hindi click here.