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Why parents prefer private schools over government schools – despite similar learning outcomes
Conversations in Tamil Nadu provide a snapshot of the fears and hopes that are driving Indian parents to move their children away from government schools.
Balakrishnan V, a 44-year-old auto driver, has lived in the same locality all his life, an area predominantly occupied by low-income households, in Tamil Nadu’s Salem district.
Balakrishnan has four children: a son and three daughters.
The older two attend private schools. The son, who is in Class 11, is enrolled in a school that charges around Rs 50,000 a year. Balakrishnan’s eldest daughter, a Class 8 student, pays fees of around Rs 20,000 per year.
