<p>Private school students in India do not outperform their counterparts in public schools, claims a new study by a Michigan State University education researcher.<br />The study challenges the claim that private schools are superior, a hot issue in India and other developing countries.<br /><br /></p>.<p>According to the report, during the past decade some 40 million children have entered India's education system, giving rise to growth in privately run schools.<br /><br />"Our study finds no consistent benefit of attending a private school," said Amita Chudgar, assistant professor of educational administration.<br /><br />"The main implication is to recognise that the debate is not settled regarding public and private schools," she said in a statement.<br />Amita analysed the reading, writing and math performance of 10,000 Indian students aged 8 to 11.<br /><br />Since private-school students generally come from families with higher income and education levels, she narrowed the research sample to private and public school students with similar backgrounds.<br /><br />The study, which appears in Economics of Education Review, found that private school attendance is not associated with any systematic and specific benefit in terms of increased student achievement.<br /><br />Amita said the results hold for rural and urban areas of India, and for both expensive private schools and low-fee private schools.<br /><br />Mixed results in US<br /><br />Unlike in the US—where a raft of research has produced mixed results in the public versus private school debate—only a handful of studies have been conducted on the burgeoning Indian educational system, and those studies have favoured private schools, the report said.<br /><br />However, it's important to keep researching and discussing the issue, Amita said.<br />"There's a perception among some that a child will enjoy better educational outcomes simply because she or he attends a private school, even a low-fee private school.<br />“But we hope for a more robust conversation on the benefits and limitations of privatisation in the developing world,” Amita added.<br /></p>
<p>Private school students in India do not outperform their counterparts in public schools, claims a new study by a Michigan State University education researcher.<br />The study challenges the claim that private schools are superior, a hot issue in India and other developing countries.<br /><br /></p>.<p>According to the report, during the past decade some 40 million children have entered India's education system, giving rise to growth in privately run schools.<br /><br />"Our study finds no consistent benefit of attending a private school," said Amita Chudgar, assistant professor of educational administration.<br /><br />"The main implication is to recognise that the debate is not settled regarding public and private schools," she said in a statement.<br />Amita analysed the reading, writing and math performance of 10,000 Indian students aged 8 to 11.<br /><br />Since private-school students generally come from families with higher income and education levels, she narrowed the research sample to private and public school students with similar backgrounds.<br /><br />The study, which appears in Economics of Education Review, found that private school attendance is not associated with any systematic and specific benefit in terms of increased student achievement.<br /><br />Amita said the results hold for rural and urban areas of India, and for both expensive private schools and low-fee private schools.<br /><br />Mixed results in US<br /><br />Unlike in the US—where a raft of research has produced mixed results in the public versus private school debate—only a handful of studies have been conducted on the burgeoning Indian educational system, and those studies have favoured private schools, the report said.<br /><br />However, it's important to keep researching and discussing the issue, Amita said.<br />"There's a perception among some that a child will enjoy better educational outcomes simply because she or he attends a private school, even a low-fee private school.<br />“But we hope for a more robust conversation on the benefits and limitations of privatisation in the developing world,” Amita added.<br /></p>