Access to Elementary Education in India. Country Analytical Review.

Abstract

This analytical review aims at exploring trends in educational access and delineating different groups, which are vulnerable to exclusion from educational opportunities at the elementary stage. This review has drawn references from a series of analytical papers developed on different themes i.e. regional disparity in education, social equity and gender equity in education, problem of drop out, education of the children of migrants, inequity in educational opportunities, health and nutrition, governance of education and other dimensions. The introduction and second sections of the paper present a brief review of the state of elementary education in the country with particular focus on regional disparities and social inequities in provision. The third section delineates different zones of exclusion highlighting the nature and magnitude of the problems of access, transition and equity. The fourth section captures the profiles of the varying groups of children responding to the questions of who are excluded from schooling and why are they excluded. In the final section, the paper identifies gaps in our understanding of the issues pointing to the need for further research as well as identifying strategies that seem to work in addressing issues of access to elementary education in India.

Citation

Country Analytic Reviews, ISBN: 0-901881-15-5, 90 pp.

Access to Elementary Education in India. Country Analytical Review.

Published 1 January 2008