Efficiency of primary schools in Beijing, China: an evaluation by data envelopment analysis

Abstract

Purpose Under the new policy framework, the China Government will substantially increase education resources investment. As a result, financial under‐provision of schools will not be the main problem in the near future. However, school efficiency will emerge as the new factor in attracting the attention of the government and the public in China, which is also one of the important fields of Education Economics research. Design/methodology/approach The authors use Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to evaluate a sample of 58 primary schools in six districts in Beijing, hoping to find the solutions to school efficiency improvement as a result of under‐adequate investment. Findings In the years to come, the central government of China will continue to enhance transferring payment from the exchequer. The education input will be assured accordingly. However, if schools run under low efficiency, the education resources will not be well used and sustainability of elementary education will not be assured. Originality/value In light of the research purpose and the limited data, there has been no in‐depth discussion of the impact of, for example, families' social status, district development disparity, social cultural influence and history context. Obviously, considering more factors which may affect school efficiency will help to find the best solution for the public education sector of government.