India

The Republic of India, in southeast Asia, is the seventh-largest country geographically, and the second-largest demographically, with a population of over 1.2 billion people. India has a large and rapidly growing economy—the ninth-largest, according to nominal gross domestic product (GDP); however, approximately 25 percent of the population lives below the [Page 381]international poverty line. India is a pluralistic and highly differentiated society, in terms of religion, ethnicity, caste, and economic status. India offers universal, free, and compulsory education for children aged 6 to 14, and produces globally competitive graduates. However, there are a number of serious issues within the education system, including poor school infrastructure, high dropout rates, inequality in educational opportunity, and limited funds. There are wide discrepancies in educational access and attainment in ...