Half of Class XI and XII urban students take private coaching

Proportion for rural areas lower at 33.1%, says MoSPI survey

- SIDDHARTH UPASANI

ALMOST HALF OF all urban Indian students in the 11th and 12th standard have taken private coaching classes in the current academic year, according to a new survey by the statistics ministry.

As per the ministry of statistics and programme implementation's (MoSPI) Comprehensive Modular Survey: Education, released on Tuesday, 44.6% of all urban students in the higher secondary segment were taking or had taken private coaching during the year, with the proportion for rural areas lower at 33.1%.

On the whole, 37% of all Indian students in classes 11th and 12th took private coaching this year.

In terms of expenditure, urban students in classes 11th and 12th are spending ₹9,950 per year on an average on private coaching, more than twice as much as their rural counterparts, who are spending ₹4,548.

At an all-India level, the average expenditure per student on private coaching in the higher secondary segment is ₹6,384, survey data showed.

The amount of money being spent on private coaching by Indian households will be a concern to policymakers, with India seeing a boom in online and offline classes in recent years amid a race to secure high marks and coveted seats in the top educational institutions of the country.