Access to schooling for those coming of school age is close to universal, but access to quality exhibits a sharp gradient with socio-economic status Quotas for the weaker sections in private schools is a provision introduced by the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009. The quotas have imposed a debate on issues of social integration and equity in education that private actors had escaped by and large. The idea of egalitarian education system with equality of opportunity as its primary goal appears to be outside the space that private school principals inhabit. Therefore, the imposition of the quotas has led to resistance, sometimes justified.

Correct Option (B)

Assumption 2 is valid. The passage explicitly states that "access to quality exhibits a sharp gradient with socio-economic status." This indicates a significant disparity in educational quality based on an individual's socio-economic background, thereby implying that the present Indian school system is unable to provide an egalitarian education where quality is uniformly accessible to all students.

Incorrect Options:

Assumption 1 is not valid. While the passage mentions "the idea of egalitarian education system with equality of opportunity as its primary goal" in the context of private school principals' resistance to quotas, it does not assert that making equality of opportunity a reality is the fundamental or primary goal of the entire Indian education system. The text presents this as a concept relevant to the debate, not as an established overarching objective.

Assumption 3 is not valid. The passage discusses the introduction of quotas for weaker sections in private schools and the resistance encountered. It does not, however, propose or suggest that the abolition of private schools and the establishment of more government schools is the exclusive or only method to ensure egalitarian education. This assumption presents an extreme solution not supported by the information provided in the passage.