Private Schools and the Millennium Development Goal of Universal Primary Education: A Census and Comparative Survey in Hyderabad, India

Development literature suggests that private schools serving the poor are not part of the solution in meeting the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of universal primary education. The authors explore and challenge objections to a role for private schools in meeting the MDG target.

The authors conducted a census and survey of schools in notified slums of Hyderabad, India to understand the nature and extent of private schools for the poor. Study findings include:

• Of the 918 schools found, 60 percent were found to be private and unaided;
• Private unaided schools account for nearly 65 percent of total enrollment;
• Private unaided schools, including unrecognized schools, were found to be superior to government schools on indicators like pupil-teacher ratio, teaching activity, teacher absenteeism and classroom and school inputs.