Read the following extract and answer the questions: Education as Mahatma Gandhi described it, ‘‘is the tool for the development of consciousness and reconstitution of society.’’ Since Independence, India has stressed reforming and restructuring the educational system as part of state intervention. The National Policy on Education (NPE), 1986, which is hailed as a landmark in the Indian educational system, provided a comprehensive framework to guide the development of education in the country. The NPE and its programme of action was again updated in 1992 through similar consensual process involving all the state governments, resource organisations and educationists. What has been worrying the critics and educationists alike is the non fulfilment of one of the NPE objectives: education of girls. It has been stated in the NPE that the ‘Education for all’ meet should have a strong gender focus as education for all by definition is gender inclusive.