What is Commercialization of education?
Commercialization of education means advertising the product (schools, playschools, universities) in a way that appeals to the consumer (student and parent). The money put in advertising and infrastructural investment in keeping with the advertisement is then remitted to the consumers. Thus, if consumers seek better education and educational facilities, they have to spend bigger bucks. “Corporate models? of education in which students are viewed as ‘customers’ are not appropriate.
Education is a unique activity in a democratic society that differs markedly from both business and government. Education is one of the most basic rights, that every human should have access to, independent of their race, gender, color, ethnicity, or income. Commercialization of education in India has been exponentially growing and has been a problem for the citizens. There have been a lot of new institutes, universities, and schools being opened in India to increase the literacy rate, standard of living, and GDP.
India has over 1.5 million K–12 schools, with over 250 million students enrolled. Of this, while 25 percent of India’s schools are private, they enroll over 40 percent of the student population. There is no doubt that the majority of Indians prefer sending their child to a private school over a government school, ceteris paribus. This is true for rural areas as well, which saw student enrolment in private schools rise from 18.7 percent in 2006 to 25.6 percent in 2011, according to an EY-FICCI report. It is no surprise that attainment levels and learning outcomes of students in private schools on average outdo those of government schools.
What are the percentages of NCAER shows private school students?
A report by NCAER shows that 65% of private school students can meet class two-level reading criteria, as opposed to 45 percent for government school students. In math, it is 57 percent for private schools compared to 39 percent in government schools. This clearly shows that private schools are preferred over public ones, which is why there has been a significant increase in the number of private institutes in recent years.
What are the Current State in India and reasons for it?
According to data the HRD ministry submitted to Parliament two weeks ago, the number of pupils enrolled in private schools increased from 6.9 crore in 2013–14 to 8.3 crore in 2017–18. Between 2011–12 and 2016–17, the number of students in government schools decreased from 19.9 crore to 18.9 crore. According to the figures, there are now nearly 91 lakh fewer students enrolled in government schools. As shown by the data, there has been an increase in the number of private schools and this is because private schools promise to provide a more quality education which in turn leads to more students being enrolled and more profit for them.
It’s no secret that college tuition is expensive, but the surprising part maybe how the uptick in costs has led to a 51% dropout rate, according to a new study. According to an Assocham survey, 65% of parents say that their children’s education costs more than half of their take-home salary, and extracurricular activities put a heavy financial strain on their family.
The survey found that parents’ educational expenses for a single child increased from Rs 35,000 in 2005 to nearly Rs 94,000 in 2011. On things like fees, textbooks, uniforms, stationery, building funds, educational excursions, additional tuition, and extracurricular activities that are essential to the school program. This has been exemplified in recent years by fee increases that have sparked numerous demonstrations and legal actions.
One of the examples is of a pretty well-known government-owned school that had a fee hike. Earlier, the fees for Kendriya Vidyalaya students increased three-fold from Rs 4,500 to Rs 12,000 annually. The KV fee hike impacts 11 lakh students in 1,090 schools.
Another famous institute- IIT Bombay also faced something similar recently. The IIT Council had announced an increase in the annual fee. The cost of fee from Rs 25,000-50,000 to Rs 2 lakh in all 23 IITs in September.Students of IIT Bombay renewed their protests on Thursday against the tenfold hike in fees for MTech programs across the 23 IITs. Students at the premier institute got together to show solidarity with protests at other IIT campuses.
According to statistics, the majority of parents raise their children for an average of more than Rs 18 lakh to Rs 20 lakh by the time the teen graduates from high school. This is excessive given the typical Indian income.
What are the basic reasons for quality education?
One of the most basic reasons for this is because the quality of education these days is measured by the amount of money you invest. The more well-known a school is with real fees, the better the education. This has become the unfortunate belief/norm in India now, which is going to be hard to break.
Adding on, India does face high global competition in terms of education, and With more people willing to go abroad for their masters and post-graduation, the private schools here are increasing their fees, knowing the fact they will be able to attract students. And the government with insufficient funds to provide education is not able to put a restriction on these malpractices. And with Foreign universities entering India solely with a profit motive, also puts more pressure on Indian universities to increase their fees.
Another very strong reason is the number of private/public educational institutes vs the population growth and demand for education in India. Growing demand for quality education, opportunities abroad, growing consciousness about the education in India comparativeness, and governmental inability to cope with the rising demands have resulted in widespread education and thereby educational institutions in the hands of private people.
Every year, the number of students going for higher professional education is increasing in India, and therefore, good opportunity exists for all these colleges to make money by offering such courses. While the Government is committed to providing primary education and certain facilities/subsidies for higher education, given the higher cost involved in the establishment of higher education institutes, we are witnessing the entry of the private sector to run educational institutions. While commercialization may only be regarded as a connotative thing, it has its positive impacts too.
Merit and Demerit of commercialization of education
Merits of Commercialization of Education:
- Increased Access and Options: Commercialization has led to the proliferation of private educational institutions, providing more options for students in terms of courses, facilities, and educational philosophies.
- Quality Infrastructure: Private institutions often have superior infrastructure, modern facilities, and updated technological tools compared to public institutions, enhancing the learning experience.
- Global Standards: Commercialization encourages institutions to meet international standards to attract students, thus promoting a competitive environment for improving the quality of education.
- Innovation and Flexibility: Private education providers are often more flexible and innovative, offering new teaching methods, curricula, and online education platforms.
- Job-Oriented Courses: Many commercial institutions design their programs to meet the demands of the job market, equipping students with skills relevant to their careers.
- Efficient Management: Commercial institutions tend to have professional management systems, reducing bureaucratic inefficiencies and ensuring streamlined operations.
Demerits of Commercialization of Education:
- Inequality and Exclusion: High fees and costs associated with private institutions may exclude economically disadvantaged students, widening the education gap between rich and poor.
- Profit Over Quality: The primary motive of profit can sometimes lead to institutions prioritizing revenue generation over the quality of education.
- Standardization Issues: Commercialized institutions may focus on popular courses for profitability, neglecting subjects that are crucial but less commercially viable.
- Overemphasis on Credentials: Commercialization can lead to an overemphasis on obtaining degrees rather than acquiring actual skills, turning education into a credentialing business.
- Decreased Focus on Holistic Development: With a focus on market demands, these institutions might prioritize technical and vocational skills over the development of critical thinking, creativity, and social values.
- Ethical Concerns: The commercialization of education may compromise educational ethics, with some institutions resorting to aggressive marketing tactics or lowering admission standards for profit.
The balance between ensuring quality education and equitable access remains a significant challenge in the commercialization of education.
What are the future of the commercialization of education in India?
The future is uncertain, still one can still predict it. There are a lot of factors that play a vital role in the education system such as technology, economic position, population, poverty level, and political factors.
If we mention the longer-term scenario of Indian education it’s no less encouraging. The way, during which the reformation within the education sector is being administered, little question the education scenario of the country, will change very soon. ranging from the first education system, the govt is now taking various steps to universalize education within the country. Various nongovernment organizations (NGOs) have also come to the fore to hitch the revolution.
At the upper educational level, significant changes have taken place within the system. within the past few years, the scientific and technological developments within the country have attracted international attention. But the requirements of 21st-century human life aren’t only associated with work and employment and profit making. they’re far more nuanced and depend upon individual, community, national, and international priorities. We sleep in an interdependent world in any case. Why we must learn is about an equivalent as asking what our current layers of needs are. The government’s education expenditure as a percentage of GDP has never ever risen above 4.3% of GDP, despite the target of 6% having been set as far back as 1968 by the Kothari Commission.
The country’s education system seems many graduates per annum but the key challenges before the govt are- Improving access and, quality in the least levels of education, Increasing funding in education, Improving Infrastructure, Improving, Management, Improving literacy rates, and Universalization of education. Over a while, Education has become a commodity in India, especially Higher Education.
All the genres of society are so overly obsessed with education that it has devalued the real essence of education. As the world progresses, the demand for higher quality education in India is going to increase, in order to be in pace with global competition and development. There is going to be an increase in the number of private institutes which probably does mean that commercialization of education is going to increase, but as we progress, people are going to get smarter and will understand the real value of education.
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