In this article, I draw attention to the early 1850s in the Bombay Presidency when the colonial government first assumed responsibility for mass education. I show that in the subsequent decades, publicly funded schooling was narrow and extremely exclusive as a result of the strong opposition of dominant castes to the education of the Dalits…

Universalization of primary education has been high on the policy agenda in India. This book looks at the reproduction of social inequalities within the educational system in India, and how this is contested in different ways. It examines whether the concept of "education for all" is just a mechanically conceived policy target to chasing…

Universalisation of elementary education is an important goal for a democratic and welfare state like India. In the post-reform period of 1990s, the rapid processes of liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation have brought in a shift from caste to class divisions not only across society, but also even among schools catering to different…