55% of Indian Students Take Private Tuition: Report

Almost 55 percent of Indian students take private tuitions to complement their school education while in the U.S. one in ten students go for the same, according to a new report by Cambridge International.

The Global Education Census Report 2018 shows how education is delivered in Argentina, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, and the U.S.

The global average of students taking private tuitions has increased to four in ten, where 43 percent students say that they have a private tutor or coach outside of school hours, rising to more than five in ten in China (57 percent) and India (55 percent) – but falling to just one in ten in the U.S.

When it comes to class sizes, globally, four in ten teachers (43 percent) say there are between 21 and 30 students in each class at their school, while another quarter – 25 percent – say they have smaller classes of 11–20 students. Less than one in ten (8 percent) have ten or fewer students in each class. Larger classes of 31–40 students are reported by 17 percent of teachers across the world whereas 26 percent Indian schools reported having the same class, more than the global average.

Moreover, in India, only 8 percent of students use tablets in the classroom. India stands out among the countries surveyed for its low adoption of new technologies and the continued dominance of traditional materials in the classroom. Students in India are least likely to use smartphones in lessons (16 percent, versus the 42 percent global average) or to reference use of whiteboards in their classroom (52 percent, versus a global average of 73 percent).

Also, the most traditional way of teaching where a blackboard and chalk are used, have been found the most in India with a 67 percent average.

Amongst sports, 39 percent Indian students said they engage in Badminton. Amongst sports clubs, India has shown the most interest with 36 percent reporting to engage in the group sport.

Further, the report notes that a smaller proportion of teachers globally – 15 percent have used the number of students who go into employment as a measure of success but it has been found the highest in India, at 19 percent of teachers claiming the same.

With regards to healthcare, a third of teachers (33 percent) say their school provides healthcare services, rising to half of the teachers (52 percent) in India and four in ten (43 percent) in Malaysia and Indonesia.

When it comes to career advice, Indian reigns here with 72 percent stating that career support or career counseling was provided in their schools.

The Global Education Census, which was carried out as an online self-completion survey for teachers and students using Snap Surveys and scripted in-house by Cambridge International, took place between March and May 2018 where responses from almost 20000 teachers and students (aged 12-19) around the world were received. The survey spoke to 3927 Indian students and 4453 Indian teachers.