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The Mirage of Inclusivity: An Intersectional Audit of Girls' Education in NEP 2020

Author(s) Jaynath Choudhary
Country India
Abstract India’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, as the majestic blueprint for making India a “global knowledge superpower,” places a significant rhetorical emphasis on equity and inclusion. Through the introduction of “Gender Inclusion Fund” (GIF) and categorization of marginalized communities under the umbrella of “Socio-economically Disadvantaged Groups” (SEDGs), the policy aims to mitigate historical disparities. However, this research paper argues that the NEP 2020’s approach, while acknowledging gender, largely operates within a single-axis framework that fails to adequately address the complex, intersectional realities of caste, religion, region, and disability. By employing an intersectional lens, this study dissects the policy’s key provisions — including school consolidation, privatization, digital education, and the SEDG grouping. The analysis draws upon extensive data from UDISE+, AISHE 2021-22, and ASER 2023, alongside critical scholarship from domain experts like Anita Rampal and Jandhyala Tilak. The findings reveal that the policy’s structural reforms, such as the push for “School Complexes” and public-philanthropic partnerships, risk exacerbating the “double jeopardy” faced by Dalit, Adivasi, and Muslim girls. The paper concludes that without disaggregated, targeted interventions that address the specific socio-political vulnerabilities of distinct groups — particularly the alarming dropout rates among Muslim girls and the digital exclusion of rural adolescents — the NEP’s vision of inclusivity will remain an elusive mirage.
Keywords National Education Policy 2020, Intersectionality, Girls’ Education, SEDGs, Gender Inclusion Fund, Digital Divide, Caste-Gender Matrix, Privatization.
Field Sociology > Education
Published In Volume 17, Issue 1, Array 2026
Published On 2026-01-12
Cite This The Mirage of Inclusivity: An Intersectional Audit of Girls' Education in NEP 2020 - Jaynath Choudhary - IJTAS Volume 17, Issue 1, Array 2026.
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