Over the past few decades, the education sector in India has undergone a paradigm shift — what was previously a sector with largely government schools and relatively limited service providers, today, the sector has grown by leaps and bounds and we now see a rapid rise in private schools, proliferation of service providers, expansion and easy access to sophisticated technology, and an ever expanding demand for high quality affordable education. As a result of this drastic growth, Budget Private Schools (BPS) as of today are a reality one can hardly overlook. With an enrolment of around 60 million averaging to around 29% of our students (ASER Report 2013), BPS have emerged, as a natural response to meet the urgent education needs of the nation. Operating on thin margins, their emphasis has been on learning outcomes rather than only on infrastructure and facilities. Systematic research has shown that they produce the same learning outcomes as the government schools, but at only one-third the cost. Despite all the pros, today Budget private schools face several challenges.

Ministry of Human Resource and Development (MHRD), Government of India is working on developing New Education Policy (NEP). The last NEP was brought out in 1986 and later amended in 1992. MHRD aims to make India a knowledge superpower by equipping our students with the necessary skills and knowledge to eliminate the shortage of manpower. The objective of the upcoming NEP therefore is to meet the changing needs of quality education, innovation and research.

Considering the pivotal role BPS play in expanding the access of education to the poorest in India, it becomes imperative that a platform like School Choice National Conference to be dedicated on Budget Private Schools. The objectives of SCNC are two-fold:

1. Bring together educationists, planners, policy experts, activists and government officials to discuss and debate various dimensions of education policy for Budget Private Schools in India.
2. Showcase cost effective innovative models that foster an enabling education ecosystem.

The 2016 edition of conference will have 3 thematic sessions:

Regulatory Challenges: The session aims to highlight regulatory system within which Budget Private Schools exist, identify areas of conflict and suggest for a regulatory system to match its eco-system.

Research Evidence: The session aims to bring evidence on quality of learning and cost effectiveness in Budget Private Schools. It also aims to identify various aspects of Budget Private Schools which lacks credible evidence.

Innovation in Classroom: This session aims to highlight innovation and development with regard to teacher training, leadership building, classroom management and integration of technology etc.