ABSTRACT
Responsibility for the provision and fi nancing of second-ary education is — like other aspects of education — a shared responsibility between union and state governments. However, until the last fi ve years or so, both levels of government had given priority to policy development and fi nancial investments in elementary education. This chapter therefore will not provide a historical overview, but it is worth noting that the policy and programmatic landscape is changing quickly; which also off ers opportunities to identify good practice and implement eff ective reforms. The recent focus on secondary education was generated by the 2005 Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) Report (2005). This pattern of investment has been common in many countries. Whether through domestic pressures or the pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals, countries have devoted time, eff ort and resources to elementary education; and higher education has long received generous (per pupil) funding but remained small and elite (World Bank 2005). Secondary education in this context has served to fi lter out those who would not go on to higher education. The expansion in enrolments in elementary education has changed the context for secondary education, though, to date, it has done little to change the structures, curriculum or organisation. It is the contention of this chapter that secondary education is not simply an extension of primary education, in particular given the more signifi cant presence of the private sector. Keeping in mind the particular features of secondary education, it will identify relevant and eff ective reforms. This chapter will look at the access to, and equity and quality in, lower and higher secondary education1 (Classes IX-XII) in India and examine some ideas for improvements in each.
