Schoolnet Survey Records Annual Spends On Education From Parents Across The Country

Schoolnet India Ltd., an EdTech service provider working to improve access to quality education for all, released the findings of its survey ‘Understanding Indian School Education Spends Landscape’. This study was conducted in collaboration with PGA Labs on the overall spending on a child’s schooling and education in India among private and government schools. 

This study seeks to understand the educational spending and purchasing capacity for supplementary education, particularly online, in India. It was a cross-sectional survey of 1,174 parents across 91 cities (Tiers I, II, III, and IV). The survey, conducted between November 2021 and February 2022, focused on the educational spending and preferences of the youngest child (Grades 3-12). The annual household income was a key screening criterion with a focus on families in the middle and bottom of the economic pyramid.

Key Survey Findings:

• The average spend on annual school tuition fees in private unaided schools is Rs 27,000 compared to Rs 8,000 in Government schools
• Almost half of the parents of students in Government (48 per cent) and unaided private schools (49 per cent) bear an additional spend of Rs 10,000-20,000 on after-school learning annually.

The survey data indicates that parents in India spend approximately Rs 20,000 in a year on education in government schools. At the same time, parents of students in private unaided schools spend more than double, at Rs 47,000 on an average annually. These expenditures include school fees, transportation, and other expenses like infrastructure and classroom facilities. 

Additional findings of the survey revealed that 6 per cent of parents spend between Rs 51,000 to Rs 1,00,000 on education in elite government schools like Kendriya Vidalayas, compared to 28 per cent of parents that spend a similar amount for education in unaided private schools. The data were recorded from 480 parents of students studying in government schools and 437 parents with children in private unaided schools (75 per cent attending 'affordable', 'low-cost' or 'budget' private schools). 

Furthermore, the survey analysed the differences in spending between in-school and after-school education. More than half the families with children in government schools (56 per cent) spend less than Rs 15,000 annually on in-school expenditure, whereas they spend an average of Rs 14,000 in after-school spending. 36 per cent of parents of students in private unaided schools spend more than Rs 50,000 on school education and 3 per cent of parents incur similar expenditures on supplementary education.

As part of the total expenditure on school education, 36 per cent of parents spend less than Rs 5,000 as tuition fees in government schools, and 12 per cent reported no spending at all. Due to rising competition among students to perform their academic best, parents invest in after-school products and services like personal tutors, tuition classes, coaching for competitive examinations and more. 60 per cent of parents of students in government schools incur these additional education costs by spending Rs 10,000 or more on supplementary education products.