Click the star to add/remove an item to/from your individual schedule.
You need to be logged in to avail of this functionality.
Log in
has 1 download
1
- Convenors:
-
Premananda Panda
(SCSTRTI)
Sili Rout (Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi)
Send message to Convenors
- Chair:
-
Premananda Panda
(SCSTRTI)
- Discussant:
-
Harapriya Samantaraya
(Sambalpur University)
- Format:
- Panel
- Location:
- G26
- Sessions:
- Friday 28 June, -, -, -
Time zone: Europe/London
Short Abstract:
Education policies and programs implemented by the State Administration are not free from hegemony. Standardizing educational training inputs for the marginalized continues to stereotype and yield no change in the quality of life. It needs cultural-specific pedagogy for holistic development.
Long Abstract:
Marginalized communities are often referred to the constitutionally defined Scheduled categories such as Scheduled Tribes and Schedule Castes who were subjected to historical injustice in almost all frontiers of their life and living for centuries. Similar conditions have been reported from recently decolonized countries. The educational policies for the marginalized intended to bring them to the main stream of life and help them live with dignity. Often, they have been treated preferentially discriminated for development through educational interventional policies and programs. Yet, the gap between the marginalized and other citizens remained almost unchanged for several reasons. Standardization of educational inputs by the State administration is normally planned and executed by socioeconomically dominant groups. In a sense, such standardization de-standardizes the native language and culture. Thus, the pedagogy of the oppressed/marginalized will have a negative identity.
Educational institutes impart free educational input from Kindergarten to Post Graduate level; it might lead to cultural genocide because the child will be socialized in the institutional ambience and not in her/ his native socio-cultural context. Varieties of barriers and stimulants exist that vary from nation to nation and institutes to institutes. How the beneficiaries learn to dare and dare to learn needs to be evaluated. Research based on Cross-cultural comparison of change that occurred in educational policies and programs across decades would provide new academic aspirations for development.
Accepted papers:
Session 1 Friday 28 June, 2024, -Paper short abstract:
The present study examines the educational status of marginalized groups in Indian society, as well as how education is interconnected with power and the complex power relations and hierarchy that exist within society. In addition, it explores how education perpetuates social inequality.
Paper long abstract:
This study examines the educational status of marginalized groups in Indian society, as well as how education is interconnected with power and the complex power relations and hierarchy that exist within society. In addition, it explores how education perpetuates social inequality as well as how its contents are determined. The educational resources are not equally accessible to all groups, therefore, 'equality of conditions' does not exist. In the name of social cohesion and order, what is achieved is the promotion of the interests of dominant sections of society. Marginalized groups have less access to power and privilege than those in the mainstream. They are vulnerable and have remained exploited, degraded and deprived of access to existing socio-economic resources. Educational institutes promote the technocratic-meritocratic ideology, which upholds that success essentially depends on appropriate skills, knowledge, talents and abilities. In reality, success is often linked to a person’s class, gender, race, region, culture, etc. Further, in a hierarchical, stratified and unequal society, the school provides knowledge to fulfil a particular professional role.
Paper short abstract:
In this paper, an attempt has been made to understand the influence of culture on the Scheduled Tribe children belonging to ethnic communities studying in the schools. The focus is particularly on their participation in learning activities and school-related activities in the Indian context.
Paper long abstract:
This paper is an attempt to understand the influence of culture on the Scheduled Tribes (STs) children belonging to ethnic communities studying in schools. The focus is particularly on their participation in learning activities and school-related activities in the Indian context. The ethnic groups in India have remained relatively isolated and backward although efforts are being made by educationists to assimilate and integrate them to the mainstream. The cultural theories of noted anthropologists like Tylor and Malinowski become more relevant as cultural transmission remains the most important mode of retaining the culture of any society which may manifest in most of their day-to-day activities. These internalized cultural traits and the way school activities articulated are in conflict, which the tribal children negotiate in the schools. In the event of failure to accommodate the school culture, the tribal child avoids schooling and accepts the community form of lifestyle which the child feels is more relevant and easier to learn. There is a need for the policymakers, planners and administrators to consider the cultural aspects specific to the STs while not only planning curriculum but also the way it has to be transacted among these groups who have a different perception of schooling and education. The absence of culture-related factors in the schools seriously affects participation of the Scheduled Tribe children in schools resulting in low enrolment and participation and high dropouts. Thus, there is a need to take into account the culture-related factors and contextual pedagogy.
Paper short abstract:
The educational system functions as a cultural mediator, and unequal "effects are built within schools" via cultural reproduction. Implicit biases, cultural assumptions, and ideological elements embedded in the curriculum contribute to the reproduction of societal inequalities.
Paper long abstract:
This study examines the role of education and its mechanisms of cultural distribution within society, focusing on education as a pivotal institution. It underscores the role of educational institutions and state policy in preserving and generating knowledge, drawing on Antonio Gramsci's insights to highlight their contribution to ideological dominance. The key questions posed regarding the content taught in schools revolve around the social functions of knowledge and the role of textbooks in producing the domains of objects and rituals of truth. This study seeks to explore the intricate interplay between curricular knowledge and social relations within classrooms, emphasizing schools' involvement in social and economic reproduction and the distribution of cultural capital. Through the content analysis of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) social sciences books from classes VIII to XII, this paper explicates how ideological reproduction takes place through the curriculum. The focus is on revealing how educational institutions have evolved into sites where children from diverse backgrounds are expected to assimilate the necessary cultural norms of the educational system. By critically analyzing the NCERT social sciences curriculum, this study seeks to shed light on how the educational system functions as a cultural mediator, in how unequal "effects are built within schools" via cultural reproduction. It aims to identify the implicit biases, cultural assumptions, and ideological elements embedded in the curriculum that may contribute to the reproduction of societal inequalities.
Paper short abstract:
KGBV schools for girls of marginalized sections are intended to minimize gender disparity and enhance livelihood security. The objective is to evaluate its impact. Data collected randomly from 125 inmates, their parents and school authorities, found a positive impact on their livelihood.
Paper long abstract:
India introduced innovative residential schools called Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) in 2004 with skill inputs for girls of marginalized groups between the age group of 10-14 to minimize gender disparity and enhance livelihood security. 125 inmates from the Ganjam district were chosen on a random basis to find out the institutional impact on health, sanitation, education and livelihood. Observation and interview methods were used to elicit data from schools, parents and others concerned. A recall method for inmates’ food consumption was done and Body Mass Index was measured. It was found that the impact has been positive in education and livelihood enhancement but not in health. Students maintain ethnic identity and need a balanced diet to improve physical and mental health.
Paper short abstract:
Study is centered on the comparison b/w the traditional and modern educational systems prevalent among Konyak Nagas, focusing on the role played by their youth dormitories Morungs. Research observes disparities b/w formal and informal education and evaluates academic progress of primary students.
Paper long abstract:
In tribal societies, before the establishment of formal education systems, plenty of learning techniques existed. The north-eastern region of India housed a diverse array of tribal communities, Youth dormitories of Konyak Nagas, an institution known as Morungs, played a pivotal role in the process of social harmony. This enduring tradition not only serves as a locus for communal governance but also acts as a platform for decision-making and the arranging communal festivities. The objectives of this study are twofold: firstly, to elucidate the disparities between formalized and informal educational frameworks, and secondly, to assess the academic proficiency of primary-level students. Primary data was collected from the selected villages of Mon District of Nagaland. The research employs the framework of continuity and change for analysis, utilizing both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. 13 in-depth interviews were conducted with elderly persons to understand traditional educational practices. A self-designed questionnaire referencing the ASER Report was administered to 250 Class-5 students, representing a total of 9 schools, encompassing both private and government institutions to asses primary education. The tool elicited basic socio-demographic data. The reading and mathematics assessment tools were used to assess students' learning ability. In the reading assessment, approximately 200 students demonstrated proficiency in reading poems, while in the mathematics assessment, only 50 students could attempt the questions, with a mere 10 students answering correctly out of the total cohort of 250. The findings of the study revealed a decline in traditional educational practices, coupled with the inefficacy of modern educational methodologies. Furthermore, even private educational institutions exhibited suboptimal performance. The academic proficiency of students remains abysmally low, with over 70% who failed to acquire knowledge effectively.
Paper short abstract:
This paper catalogues how the ideologically neoliberal interventions of Teach for India and affiliate NGOs – especially their insistence on entrepreneurial selfhood – alienate children from low-income backgrounds from their own families and communities.
Paper long abstract:
In India, the central government and various states, and local governments have Memorandums of Understanding with private organisations who support in administering education provision. One of the largest of these is Teach for India, and the Teach for India network proliferates through alumni of the TFI teaching fellowship, who launch their NGOs. One problem is that many in the TFI community have expertise in economics and engineering but lack sociological, anthropological, and political understandings of inequality. As these graduates seek to influence education policy and practice through their NGOs, they design pedagogies and assessment tools that imagine students as individuals to measure and invest in, not as members of extant marginalised communities with their values and practical knowledge. This paper draws on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Delhi between 2016 and 2020 by a white male British anthropologist, and the lived-experience of a TFI alumna who continued to work in India’s education development sector post-fellowship. Since they met in 2016, Rich and Jasmine have shared their experiences of India’s education development sector and sought ways to critique and shift practices through their interventions. This paper catalogues how the ideologically neoliberal interventions of TFI and affiliate NGOs - especially their insistence on entrepreneurial selfhood - alienate children from low-income backgrounds from their own families and communities. By attempting to standardise English, competitiveness, and the value of the modern ‘individual’, these NGOs pedagogically underserved the marginalised communities they set out to support.
Paper short abstract:
Based on the analysis of the evolution of educational policies applied to indigenous peoples in Costa Rica, it seeks to reflect on the scope, challenges and current obstacles in the effective inclusion of cultural patterns and indigenous languages in the formal education system.
Paper long abstract:
For many years, the Costa Rican state applied an educational system with a marked assimilationist approach to the indigenous population. Indigenous peoples have always represented a low percentage of the total population (they currently represent about 2%). It was in the last decades of the 20th century that educational policies and approaches began to change, with greater openness and recognition of indigenous cultural patterns and languages in the formal education system offered to this type of population. In this paper, we will first present the educational policies applied to indigenous peoples in Costa Rica between the 1980s and the present. From there, the main positive and negative impacts they have had on the country's indigenous peoples, who have different historical, cultural and linguistic particularities among them, will be discussed. Subsequently, innovative educational experiences will be mentioned through specific projects that have been developed between universities, the Ministry of Education and indigenous peoples. Finally, it is recognized that the Costa Rican state has made important advances in intercultural bilingual education from the 1980s to the present; however, there are still many challenges and obstacles to resolve.
Paper short abstract:
Using the anthropology of policy approach, we analyse ethnographically how a Universalisation of Higher Education policy (2001-2010), which aimed to (re)democratise university access, affected previously excluded people. Its effects are largely unexplored.
Paper long abstract:
Reforms in university access have impacted Cuban society in many ways since the Revolution in 1959. Initially, policies universalised and democratised access to Cuban universities but they became increasingly elitist between 1985-2000. Facing high unemployment rates and other social issues, the government launched a new reform in 2001 to open up universities to those once excluded. The effects of this Universalization of Higher Education Policy (2001-2010), which formed part of the Third Education Revolution program, have not been fully studied. In this paper, we ethnographically explore some of the effects that the Universalisation of Higher Education as an access policy has had on individuals once excluded by the traditional access system. How do those people experience their university training after being excluded? What opportunities have they had as students and professionals? How does their training change their social engagement? We address these questions using the anthropology of policy approach (Shore and Wright 1997) to study the effects of that access policy on its beneficiaries. This research is based on fieldwork conducted in 2024 in a peripheral Cuban province. This research aims to fill a gap in ethnographic studies of Cuban higher education policy. At the same time, it will provide grounded knowledge for the policy-making process regarding higher education access in the Cuban context.