"The key distinguishing feature of this book is the specific attention given to both the potential and the limitations of the NGO sector in reducing the gender gap in basic education and bringing about incremental changes at the national level. There is wide acceptance of the fact that NGOs are better agents of change than the top-heavy government bureaucracy. However this book illustrates that it is not enough just to scale up NGO initiatives instead a radical departure in approach is essential if NGOs are to make an impact and remain relevant. The original essays in this volume cover a broad range of topics focusing on the interplay of resource constraints demand and the institutional dimension in perpetuating female educational disadvantage. The introduction profiles the problem. The next three chapters map gender disadvantage in Indian education. They provide statistical data together with an analytical account of the evolving policy scenario. Chapters 5 and 6 investigate respectively child labour and the educational status of tribal communities within the context of economic and identity based exclusion from education. The last two chapters shift the focus explictly to the NGO dimension and to an examination of strategies for operationalizing change that is relevant to the Indian context including the potential and problems in forging a partnership between the public and private sectors."
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