The Limits of Marketisation of Primary Education in India

THE LIMITS OF MARKETISATION OF PRIMARY EDUCATION IN INDIA This policy brief describes patterns of access to Low Fee Private (LFP) schools in Uttar Pradesh in India. It explores how the ‘marketisation’ of primary education has affected the provision of primary education and factors affecting school choice. LFP schools have been presented as a solution to a lack of provision by the state; research suggests however, that they do not constitute a simple solution to the problems of extending access to basic education to the poor and ultra poor. It is based on findings from CREATE Pathways to Access Monograph Number 23: ‘School Choice for the Poor? The limits of marketisation of primary education in rural India’ (Härmä, 2010).