Public School Education Versus Private Tutoring in Sri Lanka : Which Contributes More to Student Performance?

Private tutoring (shadow education or informal fee-paid out-of-school classes) is escalating in the presence of free school education. However, according to research conducted so far, the significance of the contribution made by private tutoring to students' academic performance is still unclear. In Sri Lanka, students of public schools start attending private tuition classes from their primary grades, and it increases household expenditure in the presence of free education. Therefore, this paper attempts to determine whether shadow education contributes to the academic performance of the students in public schools. Secondly, the study estimates the household expenditure of private tutoring to examine whether it is a substitute or complementary to public school education. Finally, the paper explores the reasons for public school students' choice in attending private tuition classes. In the light of secondary data gathered from the Department of Examination of Sri Lanka and primary data collected from students in public schools who sat for G.C.E (O.L) and (A.L) examinations in 2017, the study regresses student academic performance on their individual study time in private tutoring classes and public schools. In addition, the study uses descriptive statistics to estimate household expenditure for private tutoring. In terms of regression coefficients, the paper finds a significant positive relationship between private tutoring and the academic performance of the students in public schools. It also reveals three major reasons for public school students' choice in attending private tuition classes and the high household expenditure on informal fee-paid out-of-school classes. The study concludes that shadow education matters in the academic achievement of the students in public schools and that private tuition classes could be recognized as both a substitute and a complement