Published Paper Details:

India has a long and varied history of implementing educational policies at the local, state, and national levels. The nation's educational system has undergone several modifications and improvements throughout the years with the goal of ensuring that all of its residents have access to high-quality education. In this regard, The National Education Policy 2020 in India suggests that by the year 2030, every child aged 3-6 in the country should have access to high-quality early care and education. This study examines the socio-economic disparities in education access using the 75th wave of National Statistical Office data (2021-22). Additionally, we look at the particular contributions that households' socio-economic standing and level of education make to the explanation of these disparities. We find significant regional (rural/urban) and socio-economic disparities in education access in India, with girls and children from historically oppressed social groups (scheduled castes and scheduled tribes) being less likely to attend early childhood education, especially in rural areas. We find that adjustments for home economic situation and household head's educational level can substantially reduce the rural-urban gap in access to pre-primary education. Inequalities in gender and socio-economic status are also seen in the household investment in early education. These findings emphasise the need for legislative initiatives and pledges to be made in order to lower obstacles to pre-primary school access for children living in underprivileged circumstances in India.