Niti Aayog Report Reveals India Boasts Five Times More Schools Than China

India Has Five Times the Number of Schools Than China: Niti Aayog Report

New Delhi: According to a recent report titled “Learnings from Large-scale Transformation in School Education” by Niti Aayog, India has five times the number of schools compared to China for the same number of students enrolled.

Reuters recently published a report stating that dozens of international and private schools in China are closing or merging due to stricter regulations, a slowing economy, and a decline in the number of foreign students.

The report revealed that in 2020, there were around 180,000 private education institutions in China, accounting for over a third of all education institutions in the country. These schools had a total enrollment of 55.6 million students.

However, international schools, which can only enroll students with foreign passports, have seen a decline in student numbers due to expatriates leaving the country after the pandemic and increasing geopolitical tensions.

Reuters reported, “A rapid expansion of schools prior to the Covid-19 pandemic drove a surge of privately run bilingual schools in China offering a western exam curriculum. The business stumbled later as Beijing imposed new rules in 2021 and cracked down on the private tutoring business, aimed at easing pressure on children and lowering family costs.”

The Niti Aayog report also highlighted the low enrollment rates in Indian schools. It revealed that over 50% of primary schools in many states have less than 60 students enrolled. The report identified issues such as extensive multi-grade teaching, lack of student and parent communities demanding accountability, poor infrastructure, and administrative responsibilities falling on 1-2 teachers in the absence of headmasters/principals.

To address the issue of low enrollments, the report suggested school mergers as a solution. It mentioned that such mergers have been successfully implemented in SATH-E states, resulting in increased enrollments.

The report stated, “There is often a perceived risk around the impact of mergers on access. However, third-party studies in SATH-E have demonstrated that when executed rigorously, the benefits of mergers are largely positive and can lead to improved learning outcomes.”

The report also highlighted the recommendations made in the National Education Policy (NEP), which calls for the establishment of large school complexes. It documented the details of school consolidation efforts in SATH-E states and their outcomes, as well as the development of leader schools.

Note: The article has been rewritten with 392 words.