Bengaluru: Research co-authored by faculty of Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore (IIM-B) has shown that constituencies with MLAs of the governing party show greater growth in the number of private schools.‘The political economy of privatisation of education: Role of local politicians in India’ by Soham Sahoo, an associate professor at IIMB, and Muneer Kalliyil, an assistant professor at Masters’ Union School of Business, examines how local politicans influence the expansion of India’s private schooling and higher education market.Their findings show party-aligned constituencies record a 3-5 percentage point higher growth rate in private schools. However, there is no comparable effect on govt schools.One of the reasons cited is the MLAs’ clout over bureaucracy. Obtaining an NOC for opening a new school is a demanding process that requires engagement with multiple layers of the bureaucracy, starting with an application to district education officer (DEO), who conducts an on-site inspection and prepares a report for director of public instruction (DPI). DPI, typically a high-level bureaucrat, issues final approval through a govt-gazetted order.“Anecdotal evidence suggests officials often delay or complicate the process by restricting approvals, requesting resubmissions, or soliciting informal payments. At this stage, politicians play a key role in navigating regulations through their control over the bureaucracy,” the report states. “The extent of this influence depends largely on their alignment with the governing party; for example, opposition MLAs often feel powerless as bureaucrats hesitate to act on their requests for fear of punitive transfers by the governing coalition.”The report also observes that, in many cases, MLAs may directly operate private schools, which “enhances their social status, creates patronage, networks, and offers opportunities for discreet financial activities”.The effects are larger in less-developed states – esepcially Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh – although the difference is not statistically significant. “We also find stronger effects where political competition is weaker and bureaucratic transfers are more frequent, consistent with greater political influence over administrative decisions,” said Soham.However, research shows there is no significant increase in govt schools. This, the authors feel, could be because the establishment of govt schools follows a multi-layered policy framework, with mandates from Centre and implementation rules at the state level.Regardless, the opening of private schools does not automatically mean quality education, the report said.“Our findings suggest that the focus should not be on restricting private participation, but on strengthening governance. Greater transparency in approvals and recognition, reduced administrative discretion, public disclosure of regulatory decisions, and stronger post-recognition quality monitoring could help ensure that institutions compete on educational quality rather than political access,” he said.
