Delhi households spend more on education than most states: survey

The findings of the report show that the all-India average of expenditure per student in the academic year across all types of courses at all levels of education is Rs 9,948. If one were to only look at urban areas, this average expenditure across the country rises to Rs 19,893. In this, Delhi is close to the top with an average expenditure of Rs 27,359. This is only higher in Himachal Pradesh, where it is Rs 27,970.

A breakdown of this expenditure shows that average expenditure on course fee, which includes tuition, exam and development fee, in Delhi is Rs 16,514. This was well above the national urban average of Rs 12,395. However, there are states in which this average is higher in urban areas, including Himachal Pradesh (Rs 19,532) and Haryana (Rs 17,146), as well as Telangana and Punjab. The average expenditure on other items in Delhi is also among the highest — Rs 3,332 for books, stationery and uniform; Rs 3,175 for transport; and Rs 2,886 for private tuition.

The report also showed that 32.9% males and 32.2% females from Delhi between the ages 3-35 who had never enrolled in education institutes had not done so because of financial constraints.

The distribution of students aged 3-35 years in Delhi shows that a larger percentage of these students are attending government institutions, with 14% of all students in government institutions at the primary level, 9.7% at the upper primary or middle level, 17% at the secondary and senior secondary level, and 12.9% at the graduate level or above.

The distribution of students among institutions at various levels in states with similarly high average expenditure on education show a higher percentage of students in private institutions, particularly in urban areas. For instance in Himachal Pradesh’s urban areas, 21%; 9.2%; 18.6%; and 4.4% of all students are in private institutions at the primary, upper primary, secondary and senior secondary, and graduate and above level respectively.