Chile introduced the voucher programme in the 1980s. However, after several years of study, researchers have found that they are unable to point to any significant difference in the achievement levels of children in private (voucher) and municipal schools. More interestingly, they found that lower income parents, even when armed with vouchers and full information about the relative merits and demerits of various schools, were influenced by their own self-perception of ‘not belonging’ when making a school choice. The voucher did not help them overcome their feeling of intimidation by school authorities.

The underlying premise of all voucher systems is economic, not social. Parents are viewed as rational consumers, who given complete information and freedom to choose, will necessarily make a rational choice that maximises the return on their expenditure. But this approach does not address situations where there may be constraints, inadequate information or unequal pre-existing social equations.

In India, nearly 70 per cent of enrolled children in the 6-14 age group attend government schools, and 60 per cent of these live in rural areas, and a significant proportion are first generation learners. Given the pre-dominant role caste and class plays in governing social behaviour in India, it is not likely that poor parents would feel empowered enough to demand their right to education through vouchers. Would a voucher change the attitude of higher caste teachers towards Dalit students? It is likely that voucher use might also follow traditional power equations.

Delhi has been witness to the difficulties in administering a system of 25 per cent reservations in private schools for children from economically backward sections. Just as the mere provision of such reservations is no guarantee that poor children will receive admission to the more ‘exclusive’ schools, the distribution of vouchers will not necessarily lead to more equity in school education. Indeed the final choice of admitting children would remain with the school — between a child whose parent earns Rs 50,000 a year and one whose parent earns Rs 5 lakh a year, any school management is likely to choose the latter unless compelled otherwise by law or regulation.

... contd.