Private Expenditure on Education and Its Impact on Learning (A Comparative Study Based on Tamil Medium Plantation and Urban Secondary Schools in the Ratnapura Education Zone)

In the 21st century, with the rapid development of education, technological advancement, and social changes, private expenditure on education has reached a significant level. The increase in private expenditure on education has an impact on student enrollment, dropout rates, subject choice, learning persistence, the desire to continue higher education, and educational path planning. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of private expenditure on education on student learning in plantation area schools and urban schools. A sample of 116 students, 116 parents, 19 teachers, and 10 principals were selected from Tamil Moho Moola 1AB 1C and VuluPnu 2 schools under the Ratnapura Education Zone, and this study was conducted as a mixed-method study following a descriptive quantitative research design. Data were collected through questionnaires, interviews, and document analysis, and descriptive statistics were analyzed using the LuPlulu software. The data were interpreted. The results of the study reveal that the continuous increase in private spending has negative effects, such as a lack of learning support, a decline in learning engagement, low attendance, and poor student achievement. The study also highlights that as a result of the increase in private spending on education, the gap in educational development between urban and rural schools, learning inequality, teacher-parent expectations, and conflicts are emerging. Therefore, the results of the study emphasize the need for education policy, planning, school development plans, financial allocation, and ensuring equity-based educational opportunities.

Education, Private Expenditure, Learning, Impact

1. Abayasekara, A., Perera, U., & de Silva, T. (2023). Shadow education in Sri Lanka during COVID-19: Trends, impacts, and role in relation to mainstream education. Institute of Policy Studies, Sri Lanka. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Akaguri, L. (2011). Household choice of schools in Rural Ghana: Exploring the Contributions and limits of low-fee private schools to Education for All. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Sussex. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Akram, S., Hameed, U. R., & Pervaiz, Z. (2023). A comparative analysis of motivational techniques in public and private schools: Implications for secondary education. Review of Education, 11(3). https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3438 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Athirathan, S. (2025). The influence of academic motivation on the academic performance of senior secondary grade students (A study based on Tamil medium schools in the Colombo south education zone, in Sri Lanka) International journal of research and innovation in social science (ijriss) issn no. 2454-6186 | doi: 10.47772/ijriss |volume viii issue xii december 2024 from https://rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/articles/the-influence-of-academic-motivation-on-the-academic-performance-of-senior-secondary-grade-students-a-study-based-on-tamil-medium-schools-in-the-colombo-south-education-zone-in-sri-lanka/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Beegle, K., Dehejia, R. H., & Gatti, R. (2006). Child labor and agricultural shocks. Journal of Development Economics. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Bray, M. (2003). Adverse effects of private supplementary tutoring: Dimensions, implications and government responses. UNESCO. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Central Bank of Sri Lanka. (2022a). Annual report 2021: Economic, price and financial system stability, outlook, and policies. Author. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Central Bank of Sri Lanka. (2022b). Sri Lanka socio-economic data 2022 (Vol. XLV). Statistics Department. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Dongre, A. A., & Tewary, V. (2014). Impact of Private Tutoring on Learning Levels: Evidence from India. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2401475 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Foondun, A. R. (2002). The issue of private tuition: An analysis of the practice in Mauritius and selected South-East Asian countries. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Glewwe, P., & Kremer, M. (2006). Schools, teachers, and education outcomes in developing countries. In Handbook of the economics of education (Vol. 2, pp. 945–1017). Elsevier. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Gasson, N. R., Pratt, K., Smith, J. K., & Calder, J. E. (2016). The Impact of Cost on Children’s Participation in School-Based Experiences: Parents’ Perceptions. New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies, 52(1), 123–142. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40841-016-0046-z [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Gustafsson, M. (2020). Education and inequality: The role of resources in learning outcomes. Journal of Educational Research. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Hussain, M. (2019). Parental Involvement and Students’ Educational Achievement: A Phenomenological Study. International Journal of Scientific and Engineering Research, 10(2), 1073. https://doi.org/10.14299/ijser.2019.02.01 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Hanushek, E. A., & Woessmann, L. (2010). Education and economic growth. International Encyclopedia of Education, 2, 245–252. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Jensen, E. (2013). Engaging Students with Poverty in Mind: Practical Strategies for Raising Achievement. ASCD. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Mukherjee, A., & Sengupta, S. (2021). An analysis of factors affecting private expenditure on education in India. Arthaniti-Journal of Economic Theory and Practice, 22(2), 206–227. https://doi.org/10.1177/09767479211012382 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Na, Y., & Yoon, J. (2011). The effect of the mother’s educational aspirations and the household’s characteristics on private educational expenditures. Korean Journal of Human Ecology, 20(6), 1199–1212. https://doi.org/10.5934/kjhe.2011.20.6.1199 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Noora, R. N. (2023). The challenges faced by low-income families due to the increase of higher price of learning materials in Srilanka: Aresearch based on nintavur DS division. International Journal of Engineering Applied Sciences and Technology, 7(10), 37–41. https://doi.org/10.33564/ijeast.2023.v07i10.005 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Nusrathul Noora, R. F. (2022). The challenges faced by low-income families due to the increase of higher price of learning materials in Sri Lanka: A research based on Nintavur DS Division. International Journal of Engineering Applied Sciences and Technology, 7(10), 37–41. https://www.ijeast.com/papers/37-41,%20Tesma0710,IJEAST.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. Pallegedara, A., & Kumara, A. S. (2020). Spending privately for education despite having a free public education policy: evidence from Sri Lankan household surveys. International Journal of Social Economics, 47(5), 561–580. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijse-07-2019-0445 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. Reardon, S. F. (2016). School Resources and Academic Achievement: A Comparative Study. Stanford University.\ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. Sivananthan, P & Kadheeja, M.F. (2026) Status of the Implementation of School-Based Teacher Professional Development Programme https://www.researchgate.net/publication/ 399959680 Status of_the_Implementation_of_School-Based_Teacher_Professional_Development_Programmemme [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. Tilak, J. B. G. (2002). Education and Poverty. Journal of Human Development. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

25. UNESCO Institute for Statistics. (2019). Out-of-school children and youth. http://uis.unesco.org [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

26. UNESCO. (2017). Global Education Monitoring Report. Paris: UNESCO Publishing. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

27. Wahyuni, S., & Reswita, N. (2018). Low-income Family Environment: Subjective Well-Being and Children Learning Motivation. IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science, 175, 012103. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/175/1/012103 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

28. World Bank. (2018). Sri Lanka Education Sector Assessment. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

29. Woodworth, R. S. (1954). Experimental psychology (Rev. ed.). Holt. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

30. Yangambi, M. (2023). Impact of school infrastructures on students learning and performance: case of three public schools in a developing country. Creative Education, 14(04), 788–809. https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2023.144052 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

31. Yamamoto, Y., & Holloway, S. D. (2010). Parental expectations and children’s academic performance. Educational Psychology Review, 22(3), 189–214. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-010-9121-z [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

32. Zhang, M. (2003). Links between school absenteeism and child poverty. Pastoral Care in Education, 21(1), 10–17. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-0122.00249 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• Influence of Korean Drama to Cultural Identity of Students in One Private School
• Children’s Vulnerability in Coastal Slums during Cyclone: A Case Study of Puri Municipality Area
• Mitigating Youth Restiveness Through Social Studies Education: Implications for Institutional Stability, Civic Responsibility, and Student Empowerment in Nigeria
• Students’ Awareness of Sexual Harassment Forms at Campus II, University of Labor and Social Affairs
• Influence of Social Studies Curriculum Content on Youth Restiveness and Civic Responsibility Among Secondary School Students in Nigeria