Different forms of schooling, single sex or co-educational, have been discussed in educational academia from the perspective of their impact on gender equality. The debate revolves around the question: which form of schooling (single or co-educational) will be effective in combating prevalent gender stereotypes? With the contradictory evidence, this discussion remains inconclusive. With the help of inferences from evidence both factual and anecdotal, the paper attempts to delineate the need to consider socio-cultural dimensions for developing a deeper understanding of gender dynamics in schools. Understanding the role of the social context called for a comparative analysis of two co-educational schools from different socio-cultural contexts: a rural government school in a state characterised by traditional gender norms and an elite private school in a metropolitan city. By drawing linkages between socio-cultural aspects and schooling practices, it endeavours to analyse parental concerns, the role of the school as an agency, the interface of caste, culture and tradition and their impact on peer behaviour in both the schools. The study has led to the conclusion that a combination of factors retards or promotes the accomplishment of education policies in individual schools.

Different forms of schooling i.e. single-sex or co-educational have been discussed in educational academia from the perspective of its impact on gender equality. The debate revolves around the question: which form of schooling (single-or co-educational) will be effective on combating prevalent gender stereotypes. With the contradictory evidences, this paradoxical discussion remains inconclusive. Based on a comparative analysis of two co-educational schools, the present paper aims to analyze the co-educational schooling and its relation with gender equality. The paper attempts to contribute to the debate by arguing that any policy (co-education schooling here) is largely mediated by socio-cultural and traditional context of the institution. By drawing linkages between socio-cultural aspects and schooling practices, it endeavors to analyze parental concerns, role of school as an agency and interface with culture and tradition, and its impact on peer behavior. With the help of qualitative data collected through semi-structured interview of stakeholders, school officials, community leaders and focus group discussions (FGD) with students, the paper argues that provision of co-educational schooling solely cannot influence gender dynamics as school being a social institution is largely influenced by its socio-cultural settings. In spite of being co-educational, different school practices and gender dynamics in both the schools reflect that considerable factors remain accountable for accomplishment of education policies.