Becoming inclusive ? A study of private schools in India offering education to children out-of-school

‘Private school outreach’ has been described by the author as going beyond the private school’s usual remit of providing feecharging education to the middle/upper classes and extending services to provide a free or affordable education to children in local areas who are ‘out-of-school’ (Day Ashley, 2005; 2006). It appears to be a relatively recent phenomenon, arising in its current form over the past 20 years, and one that is growing, particularly among established and more financially secure private schools; however, its prevalence is, as yet, unknown. The significance of private school outreach can be understood within the context of the wider Indian education system, which has been described in the literature as highly segregated with the ‘grouping of pupils into different types of institutions according to their socio-economic background’ (Kumar, 1987, p.38, my italics); by contrast, private school outreach attempts to provide education for children from extremely different social, economic and cultural backgrounds within the same institution. This, the educational institution is doing at its own initiative; private schools that have implemented outreach programmes have done so independently, not as part of any wider organised campaign or policy. In a sense, therefore, it may be described as an effort by private schools to become more inclusive – or at least, less exclusive – institutions.