Dalits and Choice of School: A Sociological Study of Private Schools in Telangana State

Abstract

Why parents prefer private schools when the government schools provide education free of cost is the major question confronting the social scientists in contemporary India. What constitutes school choice and what is the nature of the relationship between the socio-economic background of the children studying in government and private schools are some of the key research questions addressed in this article. What is the response of the Dalits towards government and private schools, as most of the previous empirical studies are based on government schools? The current article, based on an empirical study conducted in private schools in Telangana, argues that caste, class and gender play a significant role in shaping school choice among the Dalits. Though a Dalit middle-class parent provides equal opportunity for his/her daughter on par with a son, working-class Dalit parents prefer a private school for sons and a government school for daughters. As English as medium of instruction provided in private schools is perceived as a standard of quality, and, therefore, the aspired option tends to attract Dalits to private schools, they experience the paradoxical situation. On the one hand, they are not happy with the functioning of government schools; on the other, they find it extremely difficult to cope up with the multiple demands of private schools such as higher fees and hidden forms of discrimination on the lines of caste and class.