An Inspector Calls: The Regulation of ‘Budget’ Private Schools in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India
Contributor Name:
Kavita
Centre for British Teachers (CfBT), the non-profit British education services company, funded research to explore the regulatory regime under which private, unaided schools serving the poor operate. The research sought to find ways in which external agencies could assist with capacity building in budget private schools.
The research focused on the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad in Andhra Pradesh, India. The study involved interviews with school managers, teachers, parents, and senior government officials and politicians. Findings include:
- Profit making in schools has been ruled out by a Supreme Court judgment, but it is widely ignored;
- Extensive regulations govern all aspects of a school’s work at the state level;
- Government officials pointed out that, in practice, only four regulations need to be met;
- Unrecognized schools did not meet more than two of these regulations;
- In practice, there may be too few inspectors and a culture of bribery and corruption.