Abstract

The importance of the problem is determined by the fact that since the time India had got its independence the problem of poverty in the country remains to be a matter of serious concern. Social inequality in the researched country in a certain way affects its system of education. Therefore, the main aim of this article is to describe the state policy of primary and secondary education of the Republic of India in relation to the poorest segments of society at the turn of XX-XXI centuries and to identify its main results. The leading method of the study of this problem is the historical-comparative. This method allows to compare the data of governmental programs in primary and secondary education among the poorest segments of the population on the basis of historical sources and identify the dynamics of growth or decline of literacy among the Indian population. The article presents the results suggestive of the effect of economic, cultural and mental processes which took place in the Republic of India at the turn of XX-XXI centuries on the level of accessibility of public education and literacy of the Indians. Moreover, particular features of the most important national programs in the sphere of primary and secondary education were disclosed in the 8th and 9th Five Year Plans. The content of this article may be useful for the study of the institutional history of education as well as for contemporary public debate on the role and effectiveness of governmental programs in primary and secondary education.

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