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World Bank reports state that secondary education is a ‘neglected area’ in India. India’s condition is worse when compared to that of Vietnam and Bangladesh. About 48% of Indian student do not pursue secondary education.
"Thirty seven percent students fail before the final examination and 11 percent drop out during the period (class 9-12)," the World Bank study released said.
It said with "larger numbers of India's children now finishing primary school, the demand for secondary schooling - Grades 9 to 12 - is growing. Over the next decade, the number of secondary school students is expected to increase from 40 to 60 million".
"An increasing share of these students will come from rural and lower income groups, who will be less able to afford private secondary education," the bank said.
So it is high time for Indian government to improve the access, enrolment as well as the quality of secondary education. According to the World bank report, since the job growth has been witnessed in skilled services and manufacturing sectors, India should be able to provide better opportunities to the 12 million people, who enrol themselves in these sections.
World Bank also mentioned that India does not have a favourable stand when compared to Vietnam and Bangladesh.
"Even countries like Vietnam and Bangladesh, which have lower per capita incomes than India, have higher gross enrolment rates (GER) in secondary schools. India's GER in secondary school is 40 percent compared to 70 percent in East Asia and 82 percent in Latin America."
The bank said 60% of the secondary school system is privately managed. While private unaided schools provide 30% of total secondary enrolment nationwide (2004-05), up from 15% in 1993-94.
"Their dramatic growth reveals the demand for secondary schooling and the willingness and capacity of households to pay for it. This however leads to the increasing inequality as poorer households cannot afford to pay both the direct and opportunity costs of their children's secondary education," the study added.
