Inequality in Education

After forty years of independence, the debate on the issue of educational equality in the Indian society centers around the question, how inequitable is the educational development among the scheduled castes and other caste groups. Based on a micro-study in Madurai district of Tamil Nadu, the author concludes that there is a positive association between social status of the caste groups and their educational development. There is considerable degree of inequality in the educational development of scheduled castes. However, the degree of inequality within the caste groups is more severe than inequality between the caste groups.