Why Parents Distrust Government Schools: The Unspoken Crisis in Indian Education

The Everyday Paradox

In Ahmedabad, a father earning ₹15,000 a month spends nearly half of it on private schooling for his two children, despite being eligible for free government schools. To bridge the gap, he pawned his wife’s jewellery and borrowed money at 25% interest. When asked why, his reply was simple: “At least in private school, the teacher shows up.”

He is not alone. Across India, millions of parents, especially from low- and middle-income families, make extraordinary sacrifices to avoid government schools. They skip meals, sell assets, and take high-interest loans, all for an education they technically shouldn’t have to pay for.

It’s a paradox at the heart of Indian schooling: free government schools exist, but they are not trusted. And that distrust is costing families dearly.

Free Schools, Expensive Lives

The Right to Education Act (RTE) promises free schooling until Class 8. Yet a landmark IIM Ahmedabad study (2019)found that nearly 70% of households opted for private schools, even when their incomes could barely support it.

The numbers are stark:

• Families spent up to 35% of their annual income on schooling.

• Many took loans at punishing interest rates of 25% or more.

• Some sold assets—bicycles, jewellery, even small plots of land—just to keep up with fees.

Why would parents reject something free? The answer is as emotional as it is practical: they don’t trust government schools with their child’s future.

In July 2023, hundreds of parents in Delhi carried placards reading “Parents Are Not ATMs” and “Education, Not Exploitation.” These protests were aimed at private fee hikes, but the deeper truth was clear: government schools weren’t even an option in their minds.

Why the Distrust Runs Deep

1. Teacher Absenteeism

The IIM-A study and successive ASER reports confirm what parents whisper at the bus stop: teachers are often absent. And when present, they’re buried in administrative duties rather than teaching. Parents see the classroom as a gamble, not a guarantee.

2. The Shadow Economy of Tuitions

Many government school teachers run private tuition classes. Parents fear that unless their child joins these classes, the teacher won’t give them proper attention in school. What should be a public good turns into a parallel market.

Tuition begins early. In some districts, children as young as five are sent to “extra classes.” For families already scraping by, this is not an optional supplement—it’s seen as survival.

3. Infrastructure Gaps

Walk into many government schools and the shortcomings are visible: broken toilets, no playgrounds, no labs, no ramps for accessibility. In contrast, private schools, even mid-tier ones, advertise shiny computer labs and sports grounds—whether or not they’re fully used. Perception matters, and here the government schools lose.

4. Poor Learning Outcomes

Perhaps the most devastating factor: children simply don’t learn enough. According to ASER 2022, only 24.5% of Class V students in government schools could read a Class II text. That’s barely any improvement from 2016.

Parents don’t need a survey to tell them this. They see their child struggling with basic reading or arithmetic and draw the conclusion: “If we keep them here, their future is finished.”

The Cost of Distrust

This distrust is not abstract—it has daily consequences.

• Economic Costs: Families take on crushing financial burdens. Essentials like healthcare, nutrition, or savings are sacrificed.

• Emotional Costs: Parents live with anxiety and guilt—“What if I can’t keep up? What if my child is left behind?”

• Social Costs: A system that was meant to equalize opportunity instead deepens inequality. Free schools exist, but because they’re distrusted, only those with means can afford what’s perceived as “real” education.

When Policy Backfires: RTE and the Rise of Shadow Education

The Right to Education Act (2010) was a landmark law. It guaranteed free schooling and aimed to raise quality. But in practice, it sometimes had the opposite effect.

A 2020 study found that in districts with high competition, RTE coincided with a boom in private tuition centers—an average of 53 new centers per billion people each month. Instead of strengthening trust in government schools, the Act fueled the growth of “shadow education.”

For parents, this only reinforced the belief: “School isn’t enough. Tuition is the real investment.”

From Cynicism to Citizen Power

So where does this leave us? Cynical? Yes. Exhausted? Definitely. But powerless? Not quite.

Because while parents distrust brochures, badges, and billboards, they do trust each other.

Think about it: Would you try a new restaurant without checking Zomato reviews? Book a hotel without looking at TripAdvisor? Or buy a phone without scrolling through Amazon ratings?

We already rely on real voices over marketing gloss in every other part of our lives. Why should schools be any different?

That’s the promise of SchoolDoor:

• A space where parents share what really happens inside schools.

• Where alumni reflect on what prepared them—or didn’t.

• Where teachers and students can tell it like it is.

One review may be subjective. Hundreds reveal the truth. Together, they can restore the trust that glossy rankings and hollow awards never will.

All Hands to the Deck

If you’ve ever skipped a meal to pay fees or watched your child struggle despite “free” schooling, your story matters.

SchoolDoor is not about tearing down schools, it’s about lifting the curtain, together. Because when we share our experiences honestly, we don’t just help each other make better choices; we push schools to do better, too.

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