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This article presents an overview of secondary education in India. It is largely the function of secondary education to meet the demand of democracy. Elementary education seeks to provide the basic information and skills needed for survival. Higher education seeks to expand the boundaries of knowledge and is often an end in itself. Secondary education provides knowledge of the world and also serves as the connecting link between elementary and higher education. In India, as in many other countries, secondary schools are the main source of supply for teachers in elementary schools. Secondary schools also prepare students for universities and institutions of higher learning. Besides, this is the stage which in all countries marks the completion of education for a large majority. All these factors make secondary education crucial in the educational program of a democracy. The Government of India has under consideration a proposal which will make the possession of the school certificate a sufficient qualification for entry into services excepting those which require high professional training.

Background: There is a paucity of literature that addresses the health vulnerabilities of readymade garment (RMG) workers in South and Southeast Asian regions. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review is to identify the distinctive types of health vulnerabilities along with the causes and consequences of these vulnerabilities of the RMG workers in South and Southeast Asian regions.Methods: Systematic review search methods were applied utilising the PRISMA protocol. Literature published between July 2007 to June 2017 on health vulnerabilities of the RMG workers of South and Southeast Asian countries were identified through electronic databases and manual searches.Results: A total number of 19 studies (16 quantitative studies, 3 mixed-method studies) were included from the primary 17,001 papers identified. The quality of these studies was assessed by using the EPHPP (effective public health practice project) and the CASP (critical appraisal skills programme) tools. From the identified studies, 14 were considered 'strong,' with the remainder assessed as 'moderate' quality. The findings reported in these studies suggest that RMG workers of South and Southeast Asian countries are prone to several health vulnerabilities which include physical and psychological issues. Further, many of these health vulnerabilities arise from the nature of the RMG workplace, and include unhygienic and unsafe working environments, hazardous conditions of the factories, and lack of safety equipment.Conclusions: This systematic review suggests that RMG workers' health vulnerabilities are an emerging area of inquiry that needs to be better understood and solutions identified. Little is currently known about the distinctive types of health vulnerabilities of the RMG workers of these countries, other than Bangladesh and India, due to the lack of robust studies in other South and Southeast Asian countries. Although the health vulnerabilities of the Bangladeshi and Indian RMG workers have been previously highlighted, the health vulnerabilities arising from sudden disasters in the sector remain a neglected issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]