Private Tuition versus Regularity in Classes as Tools of Achieving Higher Score in Examination: Evidences from Purulia District in West Bengal

Abstract

This study assesses the impact of private tuition, which is a common and dominant phenomenon in education system in India, on the scores of the students along with the regular attendance in the schools in Purulia district, a western most district in West Bengal. This empirical study is based on a set of primary data collected from 309 students of class X from 20 public schools of ten blocks in Purulia district in 2020. This study reveals that regular attendance is more important than spending on private tuition to achieve better score in examination. The average score is 5 percentage-points higher for the students with regular attendance over the year than other students. Other things remaining unchanged, if the household spend 100 rupees more per month for private tuition the average percentage of score increases only by 0.5 percentage points. Thus regularity in classes is far better instrument than private tuition for improving the scores in examination. We find that both the SC and ST students fall behind the students belonging to General castes and OBCs in respect of the percentage of score in last final examination. However, the interaction effect of private tuition expenditure with SC category increases the average score in last exam, while this interaction effect for ST students does not appear significant. Therefore, private tuition may help the students belong to lower social castes.