EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT VIS-À-VIS RIGHT TO EDUCATION: ELEMENTARY EDUCATION FOR DISADVANTAGED IN INDIA

Education is meant to provide an equal opportunity for development to its pupil despite of their socio- cultural disparities. Education policy of the second most populous country with largest population of school going children believes in it as a ‘catalyst to resolve various existing socio-cultural and economic problems’. Revisit to the notion of education as a tool for equality, compels us to critically look into the system of education at first place on which we are relying to resolve the historical difference, present concerns and thus related future consequences. The present paper attempts to investigate the level of inclusion of poor (based on Wealth Index) and backward communities in elementary education among various states. The situational analysis advances with the help of multiple data sources with the aim of presenting the issue in toto. Logistic regression analysis shows that some of the factors such as wealth index, types of residence, caste do affect the educational status of disadvantaged children even in the well-to-do states. 'No interest' in studies came out to be the most common response for dropping off the school.
Key Words: Elementary Education, Wealth Index, Backward Communities