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Synopsis Even though India has a clearly articulated commitment to ensuring universal primary education for its children, this goal continues to remain elusive. The woeful inadequacy of resources is one important factor, but of equal importance is the little understood phenomenon of wide and persistent differences in the spread of education across both regions and social groups within the country. Addressing this neglected dimension, this volume brings together scholars from diverse disciplinary backgrounds who explore the nature and extent of these disparities in educational participation and performance on the basis of detailed village level investigations in seven major Indian states. The contributors provide an in-depth understanding of the prevailing educational scenario in India, examining the ways in which caste and community, economic status, parental, attitudes and the cost of education affect the enrolment and dropout behaviour of boys and girls and of different social groups. They show how the impact of these factors varies within regions, or even between comparable situations. The existence of pockets of chronic educational backwardness, the role of private schools in elementary education, and problems relating to school functioning and teacher performance in government schools are also explored in detail.