With a dramatic growth in elementary education enrolments and improvements in retention and transition rates in recent years, particularly amongst the more disadvantaged groups, there is an increasing pressure on the secondary schools to admit more students. With the enforcement of RTE Act and further improvement in retention and transition rates, demand for secondary schooling will grow rapidly in the coming years. The objective of this discussion group is to assess to what extent we have made quality education available, accessible and affordable to the target population in the age group of 14–18 years. How we can increase access to post elementary education across the country in a manner so as to ensure no child is denied the opportunity of completing his/her school education. In particular, how can we address the geographical and social disparities in secondary education?
