Private School Philanthropy

One notable feature of the private unaided schools in our study is that, although they charge fees and are run on business principles, they also offer free or concessionary (reduced fee) seats to some children. We specifically asked questions about this aspect of private school operation on the school and parent questionnaires as well as in interviews with a small number of parents and school managers. 

[...]Of those schools giving information, 71 percent of unrecognized and 78 percent of recognized private unaided schools offer free places to some students. Regarding concessionary places, 84 percent of unrecognized and 83 percent of recognized private unaided schools offer them. The total number of free seats given was 2,978 (1,731 in unrecognized and 1,247 in recognized private unaided schools), and the total number of concessionary places was 4,768 (2,992 in unrecognized and 1,776 in recognized private unaided schools). 

Out of a total of 43,852 children attending the private unaided schools (i.e., all the schools, including those that don’t offer free or concessionary places), 2,978 were given free seats and 4,768 had concessionary seats. That is, at least 6.8 percent had free places,and 10.9 percent had concessionary seats. Altogether, at least 17.7 percent of children in private unaided schools had free or concessionary places provided for them. Note that these figures do not include schools that didnot report information, so the results should be taken as a low estimate of the actual number of free or concessionary seats. 

Why do private unaided schools offer free or concessionary places? We asked a small number of school managers. Their reasons included such things as the following: “To keep the drop-out rate from increasing.” “To help the poorest parents by providing education at the cheapest rates.” “To uplift the standard of education by offering services to the poorest in the slum areas.” “To help the poor[est] among the poor without any return from them.” “To gain a good reputation for the school within the community.” 

The last answer illustrates that giving free or concessionary places may not only assist those in need but can also be a valuable way of raising the profile and reputation of the school in the community. That is also the case when “very bright” children are assisted. Assisting such children helps the school improve its reputation when exam results are published. Although free or reduced-fee seats may be provided for the purpose of boosting a school’s reputation, clearly very poor families are helped as a result.