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Private Schooling and Tutoring at Scale in South Asia

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Handbook of Education Systems in South Asia

Part of the book series: Global Education Systems ((GES))

Abstract

The chapter reviews trends and reasons for increased private schooling and tutoring in South Asia, and the systemic implications and governance strategies to tackle this proliferation. Focusing primarily on the most recent 5 years of academic and gray evidence, I find that Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka have experienced substantial growth in private tutoring. Private provision has grown due to a lack of adequate public supply. Parental demand for private schooling and increasingly tutoring is based on perceptions of better quality and interest in seeking a competitive advantage. Some systemic implications include concerns of equity and that the “shadow” system of private tutoring can begin to overshadow or supplant regular schooling. Regulatory systems in the region require significant reconsideration, given implementation challenges of existing regulations, and the growth and diversification of the private tutoring system.

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The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this chapter do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or its authorities or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

The author is responsible for the choice and the presentation of the facts contained in this chapter and for the opinions expressed therein, which are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization.

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  1. Global Education Monitoring Report, UNESCO, Paris, France

    Priyadarshani Joshi

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  1. Priyadarshani Joshi
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Correspondence to Priyadarshani Joshi .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centre of Excellence in Teacher Education, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, India

    Padma M. Sarangapani

  2. Azim Premji School of Education, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Hyderabad, India

    Rekha Pappu

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  1. Professor of Education Policy, College of Education, Michigan State University, East Lansing, USA

    Amita Chudgar

  2. University of Oxford, Oxford, England, UK

    Monazza Aslam

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Joshi, P. (2021). Private Schooling and Tutoring at Scale in South Asia. In: Sarangapani, P.M., Pappu, R. (eds) Handbook of Education Systems in South Asia. Global Education Systems. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-0032-9_23

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