As some of the world’s countries have made leaps and bounds in improving education, discussions have arisen regarding education inequality in third-world countries, with India as a prime example. Recent arguments have centered around whether the Indian government should take the brunt of the blame. On one hand, some argue that cultural issues in India like corruption, discrimination, and a general disregard for education in poor communities are the cause, which the government cannot control. While some of these issues might exist, the government has the power to greatly improve the country's education and consistently fails to do so. Education inequality is so prevalent because of the government’s failure in two aspects: setting consistent quality standards for rural schools and accommodating groups like women and children with disabilities. Current Indian schools cater almost exclusively to middle-class males, due to inferior curriculums for women, a lack of programs for children with disabilities, and poor employability training for underprivileged students. People argue that the government has done what it can, but all of the government's "solutions" have been ineffective and lazy. The country's biggest contributor to education inequality needs to be held more accountable.
The government's approach to fixing education inequality in poor, rural communities has been to create separate residential schools for marginalized children rather than improving local government schools. Schools in underprivileged communities do not have access to the same funding other government schools have, resulting in a lack of consistent quality standards. According to the article “Why rural India still has poor access to quality education?” by Jaivir Singh, a 2017 Indian Status of Education Report showed that only 68% of government school bathrooms are usable, which includes schools in poor and middle-class communities. Problems with rural schools also comprise of the government showing sexism towards girls and discrimination towards children with disabilities with badly designed infrastructure. Curriculums for girls mostly discuss familial issues and homemaking skills, preventing girls from having the same job skills and education levels as boys. In a recent OXFAM article by Anjela Taneja, a study showed that many girls do not attend school because they fear for their safety, as paths to school in rural areas are dangerous due to poor infrastructure. Programs for children with disabilities are nonexistent, as most schools lack any assisted learning program. Finally, India’s rural schools consistently fail at preparing children for the workforce by giving students the bare minimum of education, resulting in a lack of employability skills and valuable experience. Until the government improves the quality of rural schools and makes them more inclusive, marginalized communities will remain in an endless cycle of subpar education. Rural citizens make up 70% of India's workforce, and the currently blight of education inequality does not bode well for India's future.