Determinants of Effective Completion of Primary level Education in India, 1986-2008: A Multilevel Analysis

This study examines the influence of possible individual and household characteristics as well as the state level factors on the chances of completion of primary level education within 10-15 years of age (i.e. effective completion) in India with temporal perspective. The study is based on the information collected by the National Sample Survey (NSS) in its three rounds of survey canvassed during 1986-87, 1995-96, and 2007- 2008 in India. Adjusting for potential factors, the study found no significant change in the probability of effective completion of primary level education in India over more than two decades. A host of individual/household factors was examined having strong influence compared to state level educational, institutional and developmental factors.