Abstract

Secondary education has gained relevance given India’s steady economic expansion over the previous two decades, spearheaded by high-skill industries like information technology, tourism, telecommunications, retail, etc. Employer surveys, however, suggest a scarcity of competent labor. Therefore, more people with secondary education are needed (World Bank, 2009) in order to maintain this scale of development.

While basic education is a Fundamental Right, secondary education is remains a critical facilitator for benefitting from the growing economy. Studies demonstrate that secondary education is crucial to reducing the intergenerational cycle of poverty (World Bank 2009). Historically marginalized peoples that are unable to obtain secondary schooling are likely to be remain marginalised in the new economy, and women who have not completed secondary school may be unable to join the contemporary workforce, be limited to their traditional roles as wives and mothers, or be compelled to work in low-skilled occupations. For the majority of adolescents in industrialised nations and those from affluent backgrounds in developing countries, the ages of 14 to 18 represent a key era for schooling, broadening perspectives, and forming identity.

The primary objective of the study was to understand the circumstances of secondary education (classes 9 to 12) in Andhra Pradesh. If education is considered a platform for socioeconomic mobility, the degree of access and enrolment at the secondary level is most critical and a key step in the transition to higher education.

CBPS. (December, 2020). Quality and systemic functioning in secondary education in India: a study in Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan. Bengaluru: Centre for Budget and Policy Studies.