Author: U B Dhahtri
Author Affiliation: Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi
Abstract: The ushering of neoliberal reforms in India was a decisive moment in modern India’s history. The economic reforms drew legitimacy from their emancipatory potential for a large section of the masses. New hopes and aspirations for a better life emerged in this context. Education was seen as a key instrument to achieve various goals, most importantly upward social mobility. This paper centrally focuses on the state of education in post-liberalization India. Emphasis is on inequalities and how education, which was a powerful path to liberation for so many people, is marred with socio-economic inequalities. This study analyzes the emergence of private coaching centers (both offline and online) in urban India, and their centrality to an individual’s chances of upward mobility. The crux, however, is to unravel the relationship between neoliberalism and inequalities in India.
Keywords: Coaching Industry, Social Mobility, Shadow Education, Inequality