School choice for the poor? The limits of marketisation of primary education in rural India

In recent years India has seen an explosion in low-fee private (LFP) schooling aimed at the poorer strata of society. This marketisation of primary education is a reaction to the well-documented failings of the government system. This paper looks at LFP schooling in one rural district of Uttar Pradesh, and compares government to low cost private schools in this area. It explores whether LFPs are affordable to the rural poor and marginalised by examining the key factors in parental decision making and ultimately discovering whether equity considerations are served.