• Primary education
• Barriers to education
• Gender and primary edcuation
• Quantity versus quality
• Working children and education

Primary education

India made a Constitutional commitment to provide free and compulsory education to all children up to the age of 14 nearly 60 years ago. The goal, which was expected to be achieved by 1960, remains elusive, even now. This analytical review explores trends in educational access and considers different groups which are vulnerable to exclusion from educational opportunities at the elementary stage. The review draws references from a series of analytical papers developed on different themes. These include regional disparity in education, social equity and gender equity in education, the problem of drop out, health and nutrition, and governance of education, among others.

The document provides a brief review of the state of elementary education in India with particular focus on regional disparities and social inequities in provision is outlined. The authors then consider different zones of exclusion, highlighting the nature and magnitude of the problems of access, transition and equity. The paper then makes an effort to identify gaps in understanding which point to the need for further research and also identifies strategies that have had some success in addressing issues of access to elementary education in India, including:

• the need to understand exclusion as a process
• unraveling the nexus of poverty, social inequity and gender discrimination
• including ‘invisible’ children from the margins
• understanding the implementation of the mid-day meal scheme
• schooling governance, community participation and educational exclusion
• analysing expenditure in a cumulative change framework.
  

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