Vimala Ramachandran is an educationist who lives in Delhi, India. She was involved in the conceptualization of Mahila Samakhya (Education for Women's Equality and established the Education Research Unit (now known as ERU Consultants Private Limited) in 1998. Her books include The Elementary Education System in India: Exploring Instutional Structure, Processes and Dynamics and Hierarchies of Acces: gender and Equity in Primary Education.

PART I THE BIG PICTURE 1. Introduction 2. Equity and Quality: Two Sides of the Same Coin 3. The Narrative Emerging from Different Data Sources 4. The Cumulative Burden of Exclusion of Tribal Communities 5. The Intermeshing of Gender and Equity in Education PART II BEHIND THE SMOKESCREEN OF DATA 6. Segregated Schools in an Unequal Society 7. What Facilitates Successful Primary School Completion? 8. What it Means to be a Dalit or Tribal Child in Our Schools 9. The Teacher Conundrum

In this volume the author explores the contours of a school system that is facing a crisis of legitimacy. While India aspires to march towards a knowledge driven society & economy, millions of young people are left behind. Those who can afford march out of government schools only to realize that the private schools are no better. The schools