India has one third of the world’s children who are out of school. Historically India has been underspending on elementary education. After independence the government focused on technical education – resulting in institutions like IIT, IIM and IIS. It has been only in the recent years that the government has started foucssing on universalizing primary education.
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) is the Indian govenrment’s program to universalize primary education by 2010. The program was launched after the 76th amendment to the consitution – making access to elementary education a fundamental right.
I don’t have data to back my claims here, but the government is not even close to fulfilling this mission. Less children are out of school than before, but the offical number are incorrect.