Although the affirmative action policy was introduced nationally, only 16 out of 33 states have formally implemented the policy according to the Ministry of Education (MoE).14 Figure 1 shows the total enrolment under the policy as a percentage of the population of primary-school-going children (aged 5–9) in the largest 20 states of India. [...] Exposure to the policy reduces school fees if the difference in the fees of the younger cohort in private schools is significantly lower in round 71. [...] The DID estimates rest on the assumption that in the absence of the policy, the fees for the two age groups would have changed in the same manner. [...] In fact, in districts within states, the implementation and administering of the policy falls under the jurisdiction of the District Education Officer.20 Many children in the treatment group are less exposed to the policy if, for instance, they live in regions where only a few places were offered under the policy in private schools. [...] District-level variation in enrolment under the policy may arise from differences in administration, availability of private schools, or the proportion of disadvantaged children in the district The district-level variation can strengthen the identification as exposure to the policy varies based on the district in which a disadvantaged child resides.
- Pages
- 49
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- India