Education Policy Reforms and the Quality of the School System: A Field Study of Primary Schools in Madhya Pradesh, India

Reforms of primary education undertaken in Madhya Pradesh since the mid-1990’s have been said to be bringing the state close to universal enrolment, yet they have sparked much controversy and have hardly been the subject of any independent research. This paper presents the results of a field study of public schools conducted in Betul and Dewas districts in 2002. Substantial progress has been made in enrolling underprivileged children, but the quality of education now deserves more emphasis. Indeed, the ‘education guarantee’ offered is incomplete, as the schools under study are affected by low quantity and poor quality of teaching. The potential for better school management created by decentralisation does not actually translate into adequate incentives (e.g. through the new training and inspection system) for the local residents recently appointed as teachers to work effectively. Meanwhile, there is a risk of fragmentation of the school supply between different types of public and private schools limiting the equalising impact of educational development on rural society.