Private tutoring is booming across poorer parts of Asia
Governments are struggling to keep up with an educational arms race
The moral of the story is clear in “12th Fail”, a recent Bollywood hit about a poor farm boy, Manoj, bent on passing India’s ruthless police exam. Persevere and be richly rewarded, it suggests. Yet for a film about education and meritocracy, the portrayal of Indian schools is dismal: teacher-abetted cheating is rife at Manoj’s local school. Where he ultimately finds success, and love, is not at school, but at a jam-packed tutoring centre in Delhi.
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This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Cramming culture”
From the September 21st 2024 edition
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