| ----Abstract---- |
| This paper presents the results of fieldwork on rural primary schools of two districts of Madhya Pradesh, India, conducted from December 2001 to March 2002. Since the mid-1990’s, the government of this state has initiated reforms in the public primary school sector, by decentralising its management, and facilitating the development of the private sector. The results from Education Guarantee Scheme (EGS), a school creation programme relying on decentralization, are abysmal. Even though there are potentially stronger institutions, predating EGS, they suffer from comparable deficiencies. Parents facing high or uncertain costs, lack of awareness regarding education has led to lack of students in the classroom. Change in educational values, however difficult to promote, may well be required for the necessary increases in resources devoted to primary education and further alteration of the incentive structure of the school system—if they take place—to produce their expected results. |
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