Teacher allocation and learning: evidence from the right-to-education act in India

The Right to Education Act (2009) changed the norms on pupil-teacher ratios for Indian primary schools. We decompose the compliance of districts with these requirements into the number of teachers available (Ability to comply), and the effort to re-organize teachers to improve compliance (Effort to comply). The Act created a discontinuous jump in the latter, leading to improved teacher allocation. We show that this improvement was associated with learning gains across districts and cohorts, especially at the lowest levels of attainment. The findings are indicative of diminishing returns to additional teachers in the context of small schools and multi-grade teaching.