EXPENDITURE ON CHILDREN'S EDUCATION IN INDIA
1. Context
Despite a recent drop in the World Economic Forum’s gender gap rankings, partly due to the education category, India has made steady progress in recent years in terms of enrolling more girls in school, with government data showing that girls now make up 48% of the school population. In higher education, in fact, the gross enrolment ratio for women is slightly higher than that of men. However, data collected as part of the National Sample Survey earlier this summer show a more insidious gender gap that remains in education — the differing amounts of money that families spend on their sons as opposed to their daughters for their education.
2. What are the differences of expenditure?
- The latest findings from the Comprehensive Modular Survey on Education, conducted during April–June under the 80th round of the National Sample Survey (NSS), reveal a consistent gender disparity in educational spending.
- Across all stages of schooling—from pre-primary to higher secondary—and across both rural and urban areas, households spend less per girl student compared to boys.
- The survey covered 52,085 households in 2,384 villages and 1,982 urban blocks, collecting education-related details for 57,742 currently enrolled students.
- In rural regions, families spent on average ₹1,373 (18%) more on boys, factoring in course fees, books, stationery, uniforms, and transportation. In urban areas, the gap was even starker, with ₹2,791 less being spent on each girl than on boys.
- By the higher secondary stage in cities, families spend nearly 30% more on boys’ education. When tuition fees alone are considered, the disparity is sharper: nationwide, households pay 21.5% higher course fees for boys than for girls.
- This bias is also reflected in school choices. Around 58.4% of girls attend government schools, where course fees are minimal, while only 29.5% are in private schools. By contrast, 34% of boys are enrolled in costlier private unaided schools.
- The divide extends beyond classrooms into private tuitions, now widely seen as essential for quality education.
- Although 26% of girls and 27.8% of boys take tuition classes, spending patterns show inequity: by higher secondary level, families invest on average 22% more in tuition fees for boys than for girls
3. Expenditure on State Wise
- The gender gap in education differs considerably across Indian States. Looking at enrolments in government versus private schools, the widest disparities appear in places like Delhi, where about 65% of girls attend government schools compared to 54% of boys.
- In contrast, nearly 38.8% of boys study in private institutions, while only 26.6% of girls do so. States such as Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Punjab also record gaps exceeding 10 percentage points. In Gujarat, the imbalance is pronounced in urban centres but relatively narrow in rural regions.
- By comparison, Tamil Nadu and Kerala display near parity between boys and girls in both government and private school enrolment, whereas some northeastern States actually show higher private school attendance among girls than boys.
- Spending patterns further complicate this picture, especially at the higher secondary level. In States like Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal, households invest far more in boys than in girls, even though at the secondary stage spending on girls was higher.
- For example, in Tamil Nadu, families spent an average of ₹23,796 on a girl student in secondary school compared to ₹22,593 on a boy. But at the higher secondary stage, the average expenditure on boys rises to ₹35,973, while it drops to just ₹19,412 for girls.
- This shift partly reflects higher dropout rates among girls at that stage, though government subsidies for girls may also explain some of the gap.
- In Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Kerala, however, higher secondary expenditure on girls surpasses that of boys, particularly in urban areas where transport costs—linked to ensuring girls’ safety—constitute a major share.
- Differences are also stark in private coaching expenditure at higher secondary level. In Himachal Pradesh, families spent an average of ₹9,813 per boy enrolled in tuition compared to only ₹1,550 per girl. States such as Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu also recorded significant gender-based disparities in tuition spending
4. Significance of Expenditure on Children's Education
- Expenditure on children’s education holds deep significance, not merely as a financial commitment by families but as a long-term social and economic investment.
- The money parents spend on schooling—covering tuition fees, books, uniforms, transport, and private coaching—directly shapes the opportunities available to their children.
- Adequate investment ensures access to better quality schools, trained teachers, and supplementary resources such as private tuitions, which can bridge gaps in classroom learning.
- Conversely, limited spending often restricts children to under-resourced institutions, narrowing their prospects for higher education and future employment.
- At a broader level, household expenditure on education reflects societal priorities and attitudes.
- When families consistently allocate more resources to boys than girls, it reinforces gender inequality and limits the potential of half the population.
- Such disparities not only hinder women’s empowerment but also slow down social development, as educating girls has proven to generate broader benefits such as improved health, reduced fertility rates, and intergenerational literacy.
- The significance also extends to the economic domain. Nations that invest in children’s education build a skilled workforce capable of driving innovation, productivity, and growth.
- Families, through their spending choices, become active participants in this process, complementing state-led investments in public education.
- However, high private expenditure in contexts of inadequate public funding may also deepen inequalities, as wealthier households can afford better schooling and coaching while poorer families are left behind.
- In essence, expenditure on children’s education is not just about meeting present needs—it determines the trajectory of individuals, families, and societies. It is an investment that shapes social mobility, gender equity, and national development, making it one of the most critical areas where both household and state spending converge
5. National Sample Survey (NSS)
- The National Sample Survey (NSS) is one of the most important large-scale household survey mechanisms in India, designed to generate reliable socio-economic data for policy-making and academic research.
- It was established in 1950, soon after Independence, under the guidance of P.C. Mahalanobis, who recognized the need for systematic and scientific data collection to plan development.
- The NSS is currently conducted by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), which is a part of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
- The survey operates on a round system, with each round focusing on specific themes such as consumption expenditure, employment–unemployment, health, education, housing conditions, social consumption, and industry-specific data. For example, the 80th round (2022–23) included the Comprehensive Modular Survey on Education.
- The significance of the NSS lies in its national coverage, representativeness, and regularity. It covers both rural and urban areas, sampling lakhs of households across all States and Union Territories.
- The findings provide essential inputs for planning, poverty estimation, inequality analysis, welfare schemes, and sectoral studies. Policies like MGNREGA, Right to Education, Food Security Act, and poverty alleviation strategies have drawn heavily on NSS data.
- Over time, the NSS has become a backbone of India’s evidence-based policymaking, complementing Census data and surveys conducted by other agencies like NFHS (National Family Health Survey).
- However, challenges remain, including underreporting, time lag in release of data, and controversies over estimates (e.g., the 2017–18 Consumption Expenditure Survey which was withheld due to data quality concerns)
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For Prelims: The Periodic Labour Force Survey, Gender Earnings Gap, Labor force participation rate, Claudia Goldin,
For Mains:
1. Discuss the factors that influence work hours for women in the labour market, considering the role of social norms and responsibilities. What policy measures can be implemented to address these factors and increase women's working hours? (250 Words)
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Previous Year Questions
1. Which of the following statements about the employment situation in India according to periodic Labour Force Survey 2017-18 is/are correct? (UPSC CAPF 2020)
1. Construction sector gave employment to nearly one-tenth of the urban male workforce in India
2. Nearly one-fourth of urban female workers in India were working in the manufacturing sector
3. One-fourth of rural female workers in India were engaged in the agriculture sector
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
A. 2 only B. 1 and 2 only C. 1 and 3 only D. 1, 2 and 3
Answer: B
2. Disguised unemployment generally means (UPSC 2013) (a) large number of people remain unemployed Answer: C 3. Which of the following gives ‘Global Gender Gap Index’ ranking to the countries of the world? (UPSC 2017) (a) World Economic Forum Answer: A 4. Given below are two statements, one is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other as Reason (R). (UPPSC Civil Service 2019)
Assertion (A): The labour force participation rate is falling sharply in recent years for females in India.
Reason (R): The decline in labour force participation rate is due to the improved family income and an increase in education.
Select the correct answer from codes given below:
Codes: A. Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A)
B. Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is not the correct explanation of (A)
C. (A) is true, but (R) is false
D. (A) is false, but (R) is true
Answer: C Mains1. Most of the unemployment in India is structural in nature. Examine the methodology adopted to compute unemployment in the country and suggest improvements. (UPSC 2023) |
Source: The Hindu
