State, Market and Social Inequalities: A Study of Primary Education in the Indian Punjab

Abstract

The article, using the National Sample Survey (henceforth NSS) data, establishes that the non-state providers, particularly the private-unaided sub-sector, have predominantly captured the primary school education market in Punjab. The predominance of these schools in the state has made the primary education a tradable commodity, catering to the demands based on the ability of the households to pay. In such a situation, the type of school (government or private) the households in the state are able to choose for their wards, particularly at rural level, is largely contingent on their caste and gender, which clearly shows that a new form of social inequality has emerged in Punjab (given not only that the learning environment in the government schools is perceived to be of formidable concern, but these schools are also non-English medium). The article suggests that without a properly functional state-financed school education system, the market forces will continue to strengthen the prevailing social inequalities.