Page 202 - EW October 2025

EW RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE INEQUALITY AND

EDUCATION IN INDIAN CITIES

AGASTYA LALL

India’s rapid urbanization drives growth but deepens inequality. With 36% urban
population, uneven infrastructure access shapes education, reinforcing socioeconomic
divides. The study links these disparities to SDG 4 and SDG 11 commitments.

ndia’s rapid urbanization has created cities that serve as en- surroundings. Safe transport, clean air, and digital access expand
gines of economic growth — but also as sites of deep in- students’ capabilities; their absence constrains them even when
Iequality. With 36% of the population now living in urban schools exist.
areas (World Bank, 2023), the distribution of infrastructure — Methodology
transport, housing, environmental quality, and digital connectiv- A mixed-methods, cross-sectional comparative study was con-
ity — has emerged as a critical determinant of social mobility and ducted across eight major Indian metros: Delhi, Mumbai, Benga-
educational access. The paper explores how unequal access to luru, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Pune.
urban infrastructure shapes educational outcomes across Indian Data Sources
cities, arguing that these physical disparities reinforce socioeco- • Census 2011: housing, sanitation, and density indicators
nomic divides and constrain human capital development. • NSSO 76th & 78th rounds: household expenditure, travel
While India has made progress in school enrollment and time, enrollment
digital learning, these achievements mask large intra-urban gaps. • UDISE+: school infrastructure, enrollment, dropout rates
Students from affluent neighborhoods enjoy proximity to good • NFHS-5: environmental and health data
schools, safe commutes, stable housing, and broadband internet, • NITI Aayog & World Bank (2021–23): urban mobility and
whereas those from informal settlements face long commutes, digital access
unsafe conditions, and learning disruptions. The study cites these • Municipal open-data portals: local air quality and transport
challenges within global Sustainable Development Goals — par- coverage
ticularly SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Salient Findings
Cities and Communities). Infrastructure inequality strongly correlates with educational per-
Study Objectives and Research Gap formance.
Existing education research in India focuses largely on school Cities such as Bengaluru, Pune, and Chennai, with high IQI
quality, pedagogy, and teacher training. Urban studies, on the values, record stronger learning outcomes and lower dropout
other hand, emphasize infrastructure and housing efficiency. rates, while Kolkata and Delhi’s peripheral zones exhibit poor
Few studies link these two spheres.This paper fills that gap by secondary-level retention.
systematically connecting urban infrastructure indicators with • Correlation (IQI ↔ EPI): 0.62 (p < 0.05)
educational outcomes to assess how physical inequality shapes • Variance explained by built environment: ~28% (after con-
learning continuity, academic performance, and dropout patterns. trols)
The study integrates three theoretical strands: Hence, one-quarter to one-third of educational inequality among
1. Urban Economics and Spatial Inequality: Indian cities arises from infrastructure disparities rather than
Drawing from Kain’s (1968) spatial mismatch theory, the pa- family income or parental education alone.
per argues that low-income residents often live far from quality Transport Accessibility and Educational Participation
schools and jobs, making education physically inaccessible. Poor Public transport availability is a major predictor of student at-
connectivity amplifies dropout rates and gender gaps, especially tendance.
among adolescent girls. • In Chennai, an extensive bus and metro system correlates with
2. Human Capital Theory (Becker, 1964): high attendance.
Education is conceptualized as an investment. Infrastructure • In Delhi’s and Hyderabad’s outer areas, sparse or unsafe trans-
deficitsreduce the returns on this investment by raising the non- port contributes to high dropout rates, especially among girls.
academic costs of schooling. Programs such as Maharashtra’s Girls Free Bus Pass increased
3. Social Infrastructure and the Capability Approach (Sen, 1999): female enrollment in secondary schools, validating the gendered
Beyond physical assets, real freedom to learn requires supportive nature of mobility barriers.

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