Findings from the National Sample Survey’s (NSS) Comprehensive Modular Survey: Education (CMS-E) 2025 have come under scrutiny after an analysis questioned data suggesting that more than a quarter of students in government schools pay course fees despite the Right to Education (RTE) Act guaranteeing free education up to Class 8.

The issue gained attention after a Rajya Sabha member cited the survey earlier this year, stating that 27 per cent of students in government schools paid admission, tuition, examination, development and other compulsory fees. The survey, conducted between April and June 2025, covered 52,085 households, including 28,401 in rural areas.

According to the survey, 26.7 per cent of government school students reported paying course fees, compared with 89.1 per cent in private aided schools, 98.1 per cent in recognised private unaided schools and 92.2 per cent in other institutions. Overall, 57.1 per cent of students reported expenditure on course fees.

The survey also found that 25.3 per cent of rural government school students and 35.2 per cent of urban government school students reported paying course fees. Across rural and urban areas combined, the figure stood at 29.7 per cent.

However, the analysis argues that several findings are inconsistent with existing education policy. It found that among students reporting course fees above ₹10,000, those attending rural government schools paid an average course fee of ₹24,000 compared with ₹22,608 in private schools. In urban areas, the corresponding figures were ₹19,443 for government schools and ₹28,458 for private schools.

The analysis also showed that average total educational expenditure remained substantial for government school students across all fee categories. Students reporting course fees above ₹10,000 incurred average total expenditure of ₹31,850 in rural government schools and ₹30,856 in urban government schools, compared with ₹35,742 and ₹41,452 respectively in private schools.

Even among students reporting no course fees, average annual educational expenditure stood at ₹1,824 in rural government schools and ₹2,470 in urban government schools, while the corresponding figures for private schools were ₹3,677 and ₹5,767.

The authors also highlighted state-level anomalies. In rural areas, the proportion of government school students reporting no course fees was 0 per cent in Ladakh, 2.6 per cent in Tripura, 43 per cent in West Bengal and 53 per cent in Kerala. In several states, a lower proportion of rural government school students reported studying free of course fees than their urban counterparts, a pattern the authors said was difficult to reconcile with existing policy.

The analysis attributes the discrepancies to possible survey design and data collection issues. It suggests respondents may have interpreted “tuition fees” as payments for private coaching rather than fees charged by schools. It also raises concerns about the Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) system used in the survey, which requires enumerators to enter a response before proceeding, potentially leading to inaccurate entries.

The authors said that if government schools are charging compulsory fees in violation of the RTE Act, the issue requires investigation. If the findings instead stem from errors in data collection or validation, they warned that inaccurate statistics could affect education policy decisions and undermine confidence in government schools.

Inputs from The Hindu

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