Private Schooling Costs Nine Times Higher Than Government Schools, National Survey Reveals

Rita Roy Choudhury 

EduNE

New Delhi: Families in India are facing an increasingly steep financial burden when it comes to educating their children, particularly in non-government schools. The government’s latest Comprehensive Modular Survey (CMS) on Education, part of the 80th round of the National Sample Survey (NSS), has revealed that households with children in private schools spend nearly nine times more than those with children in government institutions.

On average, families with children in government schools reported an annual expenditure of just ₹2,863 per student, while those in non-government schools spent close to ₹25,000. The difference is stark, driven largely by course fees. Almost every private school student pays course fees, whereas only about one-fourth of students in government schools bear such costs. The average course fee for an urban student stands at ₹15,143, nearly four times higher than the ₹3,979 spent by rural students.

The survey, which covered more than 52,000 households and 58,000 students across the country, also underlines the urban-rural divide in education spending. Families in cities spend significantly more on every category, from uniforms and books to coaching and transportation. Private coaching in particular has emerged as a parallel education system that adds to the burden. Urban households reported paying an average of ₹3,988 annually per child for coaching, while rural households spent just ₹1,793. At the higher secondary level, where competition for university admissions and professional courses intensifies, the gap becomes sharper: city families spend ₹9,950 per student on coaching, more than twice the ₹4,548 spent in villages.

The findings have renewed concerns about access and equity in Indian education. While government schools remain the most affordable option, many parents, especially in urban centres, are drawn to private institutions for their perceived advantages in infrastructure, English-medium instruction, and career prospects. Education experts point out that parents often stretch their finances or cut down on other household expenses to afford private schooling and coaching because they see it as an investment in their children’s future. Yet this comes at a disproportionately higher cost for middle-class and lower-income families, particularly in cities.

The survey also reflects the booming coaching economy that now extends well beyond metros into smaller towns. With board examinations, competitive entrance tests and professional courses driving demand, private coaching has grown into a multi-billion-rupee parallel system. Almost one in three students in India now attends some form of coaching outside school, raising uncomfortable questions about the effectiveness of formal schooling, particularly in the government sector.

The widening gap in education expenditure between urban and rural households, and between government and non-government school students, poses critical challenges. It raises questions of affordability, equity, and the true value of money spent on education. Higher spending does not always guarantee better learning outcomes, but for many families it has become unavoidable in the race for quality education and better opportunities.

Although the government has invested in strengthening public education through schemes such as Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan and has laid out ambitious goals in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the latest data suggests that unless government schools become credible alternatives, families will continue to shoulder the heavy burden of private schooling and coaching. As India positions itself as a knowledge-driven economy, bridging this financial and quality gap in education will remain one of the most pressing challenges of the coming decade.