BACK TO SCHOOL
Meaningful restart of education is critical

Inequalities in education, which were already very large, have been considerably worsened by the long closure of schools. But this crisis is also an opportunity for renewal of the education system.

#Adivasis #Caste #Urban Poor #Education
ATTITUDES TO GENDER
A program to teach gender-equality
ATTITUDES TO GENDER : A program to teach gender-equality

In Haryana, researchers have been conducting a longitudinal study on a program to improve gender attitudes among school children. Five years on, are its positive impacts still sustained?

#Women #HARYANA
LEARNING ONLINE
Dual lesson plans can bridge the divide

A pilot program shows how learning can continue despite the lockdown, and also how the gap in technology-assisted learning available to children in government schools can be closed.

#Education #KARNATAKA #ODISHA
OP-ED: PREPARING GEN-NEXT
Why ‘skilling’ India must focus on schooling

The thrust on vocational skills and values among the youth has more often looked at solutions based on extraneous skill-development modules. E S Ramamurthy explains why a more skilled future workforce must entail fundamental reforms in schooling.

#Education Opinions #Livelihoods #Skills Development #Children #Education #OP-ED
GAPS IN EDUCATION
The real and present threat to our future

India is at a turning point and needs a holistic education system to meet the requirements and expectations of various existing and emerging sectors. Unless there is a revamp, our youngsters have a bleak future, says Ramesh Menon

#Labour Issues #Education
LANGUAGE
The question of English

A meaningful and enduring bilingualism, embracing both English and the mother tongue, remains out of reach of the vast majority of citizens, writes Ramachandra Guha.

#Caste #Ramachandra Guha #OP-ED #A historian's view
SAMACHEER KALVI
Uniform, but unworkable
SAMACHEER KALVI : Uniform, but unworkable
The desire for quality education for all children is noble and surely one shared by all. But Tamilnadu's Samacheer Kalvi makes that more difficult, writes Parth Shah.
#Education #TAMILNADU
EDUCATION
Alternative advantage, shackled by regulation
A number of NGO-run schools in Tamilnadu are making a clear difference in helping underprivileged chilren get a better shot at the real world, in comparison to state-run schools. Still, the schools themselves need help, finds Krithika Ramalingam.
#Education #TAMILNADU
PROPAGATING TOLERANCE OR ATHEISM?
School textbook issue spirals into political row
PROPAGATING TOLERANCE OR ATHEISM? : School textbook issue spirals into political row
The new class VII social science textbook in Kerala has become the cause of clashes. Groups agitating against the book allege its content is anti-religion, while the state curriculum board says it propagates religious tolerance. P N Venugopal reports on the controversy.
#Education #KERALA
EDUCATION AND POLITICS
Gujarat's textbooks: Full of biases and errors
An ongoing study of school textbooks in four states has found stereotypes and biases in Gujarat's textbooks. The Social Studies textbook for standard five has nine stories on mythology masquerading as history. Deepa A reports.
#Education #GUJARAT
MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION
Goa wrestles with language in schools
MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION : Goa wrestles with language in schools

The abrupt transition from Konkani and Marathi in primary schools to English in Standard V puts tremendous pressure on children from rural communities in Goa. By the time these learners reach the crucial higher grades, nearly half of them drop out of school. Rupa Chinai reports.

#Education Law and Policy #Education #GOA
INNOVATION IN THE CLASSROOM
Are new teaching methods working?
INNOVATION IN THE CLASSROOM : Are new teaching methods working?

Efforts to make learning more interactive and more fun for students appear promising, but it may be too soon to judge if they are positively impacting children's performance in standard tests and surveys. Meanwhile, teachers complain that these efforts have added to their already heavy burden. Padmalatha Ravi reports.

#Literacy #Education #KARNATAKA
LENS ON EDUCATION
Not by mainstream schools alone
LENS ON EDUCATION : Not by mainstream schools alone
Do alternative schools work? After all, every child has to ultimately face a society that puts a premium on competitiveness and commodification. Or are alternatives only an option for children of parents from a certain class of society? Deepa A finds out.
#Education
EDUCATION
Textbooks for change
EDUCATION : Textbooks for change

A number of new NCERT textbooks for class I to class XII have been designed to encourage children to question social prejudices, discrimination and inequalities. This is a conscious reversal of the earlier trend where textbooks reinforced prevailing stereotypes, notes Deepti Priya Mehrotra.

#Girls' Education #Children #Education
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY
Girls without power
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY : Girls without power

Despite islands of progress and even a paradoxical government-run success, the larger picture of girls' education and their empowerment is dismal. There is an enormous gap between fact and paper fiction, and the task for feminists and activists is cut out, says Deepti Priya Mehrotra on the International Women's Day.

#Girls' Education #Guest Opinions #Children #Women