AbstractPrimary education constitutes a very important part of the entire structure of education. It is at this stage, the child starts going to a formal institution and formal education starts. Elementary education in India has been under the control of a number of agencies. It is still under the management of some private agencies, though, the State is increasingly taking the responsibility of providing free and compulsory elementary education to all. Article 45 of the Constitution provides for free and compulsory education for all children in the age-group 6-14 years, up to a minimum level. The whole idea has been woven into the concept of Universalisation of Elementary Education (UEE). The level of compulsory education as envisaged in this Article corresponds to the elementary education of eight year’s duration from class I to class VIII for the children aged 6-14 years. Universalisation of upper primary education in India is normally in terms of enrolling and retaining all children belonging to the group 11 to 14. The Universalisation of Elementary Education has been recognized as a constitutional obligation in India by the year 1960 but the target has not been achieved even after 54 years of the target year.
Enrolment of boys in primary schools by class implies that total as well as class wise enrolment declined over study period. Enrollment of children at the upper primary level showed that it was not commensurate with the growth of population in the relevant age group, notwithstanding the fact that universalization of elementary education has been the avowed objective of the government. The quantitative growth of enrollment has been faster in the case of girls than in the case of boys throughout the study period of upper primary education