Education in India Institutions Systems and Structures (EIISS)

Semester and Year Offered: Semester I (Monsoon Semester 2019)

Course Coordinator and Team: Dr.Gunjan Sharma

Email of course coordinator: gunjan@aud.ac.in

Pre-requisites: None

Aim: The purpose of the course is to familiarise the beginning students of education with the institutions, systems and structures of education (especially in relation to school education) in contemporary India. The course has been structured around selected themes which would help in developing a basic familiarity with the educational set-up in India. These themes focus on areas like ecosystem of education in India, the constitutional and legal framework for education; levels of education; centrally sponsored schemes; and recent educational reforms. The primary objectives of the course are – to familiarise the students with vocabulary and category names frequently used in educational contexts, and initiating thinking about how the educational systems work. The course will be transacted through presentations, survey of relevant documents and cases, discussions and guest lectures/interactions with people working in the area of education.

Course Outcomes:

By the end of this course the students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate a familiarity with major educational institutions, systems and structures of India.
2. Identify and explain at an introductory level the education policy directions, issues and challenges and debates in the Indian context.

Brief description of modules:

The 2 credit course will be spread over the first semester for 2 hours every week devoted to specific themes transacted through lectures/presentations, discussions and survey of documents. These themes include:

• Ecosystem of education in India (with a focus on introducing the institutional categories, roles, relational context, stakeholders, participation, etc.)
• Constitutional and legal framework in context of school education (through some seminal cases in Indian context, and reading of select portions of the constitutional provisions which have bearings on education and Right to education Act)
• Levels of education: Structure, agencies, roles, inter-state differences in the system (particularly ECCE, higher education, teacher education)
• Centrally sponsored schemes in education and the flagship programmes of the State: District Primary Education Programme (MDG, Education for all, World Bank, structural readjustment and social safety net), SarvaShikshaAbhiyan, RashtriyaMadhyamikShikshaAbhiyan, Mid-day meal (with a focus on how they were/are constituted, how they work and their status)
• Education reforms in India (with a focus on equity and quality): Post liberalization context, the child-centered ‘shift’, work of civil society and non-governmental organizations in education.

A tentative semester calendar for the course (may change as per the needs of the course /holidays etc.):

Assessment Details with weights:

• Participation/Class tasks 10% (end of the course)
• One short assignment 45% (by Mid-September)
• End term (Written) 45% (as per AUD academic calendar)

Suggested reference resources:

Reports and documents:

• Committee on implementation of the right of children to free and compulsory education act, 2009. (2010). Report of the committee on implementation of the right of children to free and compulsory education act, 2009 and the resultant revamp of SarvaShikshaAbhiyan (Anil Bordia, Chairman). Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of School Education and Literacy, New Delhi, India. (Theme 1, 3)
• Government of NCT of Delhi. (2012). Administrative structure and planning process. District elementary education plan in context of RTE 2009 under SSA Delhi 2012 – 13, pp. 7 – 10. Department of education, GNCT of Delhi. (Theme 3)
• Government of India. (1986). National policy on education and Program of action. Ministry of Human Resource Development, Education Department, New Delhi, India. (Theme 1, 4, 5, 6)
• Government of India. (1993). Learning without burden - Report of the National Advisory committee appointed by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (Yashpal, Chairman). Ministry of Human Resource Development, New Delhi, India. (Theme 6)
• Government of India. (2000). A policy framework for reforms in education by Special subject group on policy framework for private investment in education, health and rural development (M. Ambani, Chairman), Prime Minister’s Council on Trade and Industry, Government of India. (Theme 4, 5, 6)
• Government of India. (2009). The right of children to free and compulsory education act. Ministry of Law and Justice, Legislative Department, New Delhi, India. (Theme 1, 2, 6)
• Government of India. (2011). The Constitution of India (updated upto Ninety-Seventh amendment Act, 2011). http://indiacode.nic.in/coiweb/welcome.html. (Theme 1, 2)
• Government of India. (March, 2011). SarvaShikshaAbhiyan: Framework for implementation based on the Right to free and compulsory education Act, 2009. Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of School Education and Literacy, New Delhi, India. (Theme 1, 4, 5, 6)
• Ministry of Human Resource Development. (2010). Model rules for right to free and compulsory education. Retrieved October 28, 2010, from http://www.ncpcr.gov.in/Model_Rules/RTE_Model_Rules.pdf. (Theme 2)
• National Council for Educational Research and Training. (2005). Executive summary: National Curriculum Framework, (Yash Pal, Chairman). National Council of Educational Research and Training, Delhi, India. (Theme 6)
• NUEPA. (2011). Elementary education in India – Progress towards UEE, Flash statistics (DISE 2010-11). Delhi: NUEPA. (Theme 3, 6)
• Plan documents: Selections from education documents (http://planningcommission.nic.in/plans/planrel/fiveyr/welcome.html) (Theme 5, 6)
• The Central University Bill, 2009 (Theme 3)
• Suggested readings (may be replaced by fresh readings on the subject each year):
• Desai, S. B. et.al. (2010). Human development in India: Challenges for a society in transition. New Delhi: Oxford University Press. (Chapter 1) (Theme 6)
• Jandhyala B. G. Tilak, J.B.G. (Nov. 1989). Center-State relations in financing education in India. InComparative Education Review, 33 (4), pp. 450-480. Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1188449. (Theme 5)
• Prasad, M. (2007). World Bank Prescriptions & Structural Change in Higher Education in India. In Independent People’s Tribunal on the World Bank in India: Papers on World Bank’s Policies, 21-24 September 2007 (pp. 47-57), New Delhi: People’s Campaign for Common School System. (Theme 3, 4, 5)
• R. Govinda. (Ed.). (2002). India education report. New Delhi: OUP and NIEPA. (Theme 1 – 8)
• Ramachandran, P and V. Ramkumar. (2005). Education in India. Delhi: National Book Trust, India. (Theme 1)
• Ramachandran, V. (Ed.). (2003). Getting children back to school: Case studies in primary education. New Delhi: Sage Publications. (Theme 7)
• Ramchandran, V. et. Al. (2005). Teacher motivation in India. http://www.dfid.gov.uk/R4D/PDF/Outputs/policystrategy/3888teacher_motivation_india.pdf (Theme 3)
• Rao, D. B. (1998). The District Primary Education Programme. Delhi: Discovery publishing house. (Theme 4)
• Sadgopal, A. (2006).Dilution, distortion and diversion: A Post-Jomtien reflection on education policy. In The crisis of elementary education in India. (Ed. Ravi Kumar), pp. 92-136. New Delhi: Sage. (Theme 4, 5, 6)