ABSTRACT
This chapter is based on the findings of a qualitative study done in 2002–03 with the funding of the World Bank Educational Resource Unit. It explores the factors that contribute to or impede successful primary school completion among children living in diverse poverty conditions. The chapter summarizes what actually observed in the field regarding the health, education, and nutritional status of the children, and the role played by their family, community, and the local infrastructure and service delivery system. It identifies the social, economic, and political factors that exert considerable influence – separately and in tandem – over the ability of a child to complete primary education, as they play out along the integrated child development continuum. The chapter explores the possible implications of these findings for making and implementing policies. It is based on detailed qualitative research conducted in both rural and urban areas between September and November 2002 in the three states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Uttar Pradesh.
