NATIONAL SEMINAR ON ADRRESSING EQUITY IN EDUCATION MAJOR ISSUES AND THE WAY FORWARD

Theme 1: Issues of Inequity Major Issues and The Way Forward Unequal playing field at school entry- ECCE only for some children. Priority to Child Development vs Budgeting Inclusion of ECCE in the RTE Act. Convergence between Ministries for holistic childdevelopment.

1:Major Issues of Inequity and The Way Forward Lack of comparable quality of education for all children. Language development at the early grades not focussed to the extent required. Home language diff from school language. No practical monitoring of linear Top-Down management and what happens within classrooms. Reorienting schools-classrooms to create an accelerated learning environment (diversified pedagogic practices, processes, materials and assessment). Priority on early literacy & lang. development for equity. Student learning an entry point for discussion on equity with teachers. Providing institutional support to schools.

1: Major Issues of Inequity and The Way Forward Systemic issues make it difficult for teachers to work. Reluctance of society to accept the RTE. Gendered perceptions and stereotypes in communities. Weak school –community connect. Lack of parental involvement in children’s education.  Need to look at the larger picture, all levels before the classroom and teacher that are end points.  Focus on systemic change.  Examine Pre/In service teacher education institutions and programs, monitoring and schemes of delivery.  Reflect on gender with teachers through exercises examples and non stereotypical positive images.  Promote greater involvement of the local authority and community.

I. Major Issues of Inequity and the Way Forward Teachers’ beliefs holding back delivery of equitable education. Teacher’s beliefs conflicting with what is laid down in the RTE and NCF 2005 and LCE. RTE Act and NCF 2005 very new to teachers. Promoting internally driven change not externally driven. Workshops for T Es and educ. Administrators. Forums for sharing and discussion Changing the mindsets of stakeholders across all levels.

Theme 2:Professional Teacher Development Training( Pre/In service) is a minimalistic approach in changing teachers’ beliefs and attitudes. Inherent social inequalities in teachers. Caste system and gender disparities are taken for granted, which cannot be weaned out by training. Prof. Dev. to build leadership and autonomy among teachers making them reflective practitioners and agents of change in their own contexts. Use the Transformative Learning theory (experience, reflection and practice) in Pre and In service trgs. Trgs. must have a clear set of learning objectives (for example, creating changes in the classroom process

T 2: Major Issues and The Way Forward Underlying beliefs of trgs are not in sync with the aims of education and change desired to achieve equity. Trgs. lack space for promoting critical reflection, dialogue and sharing experiences and participation. New curricula for in-service training should be needs based and designed with the active engagement of the recipient teachers. High quality trg. materials to be developedwith teachers. Monitoring and onsite support by CRCs and BRCs etc. Follow up programs. Sharing of training experiences.

Theme 3. Measuring Gender Equity in Education Lack of clarity and consensus on what equality, equity and empowerment mean. General focus on measuring learning achievement and outcomes. All changes do not lend themselves to being measured. Measurement imp. for assessing gender equity and accountability. Imp. of measuring nature of the intensity of change generated by learning. A few options suggested: GEI index, CARE’s Empowerment Framework. To what extent and how to measure equity and change(What can and cannot be measured)

Theme 4: Making RTE a Reality Lack of clarity reg. Policy issues & constitutional vision in stakeholders. RTE Act implemented more as a scheme than an entitlement. Only 8% RTE compliant schools, monitoring required. Late operationalization of some aspects in the RTE. Absence of a unified vision in different policies and Act. Much less litigation around Section 29.( curriculum, quality, inclusion) Children looked at in a fragmented, piece meal, de- contextualized manner. Looking beyond Ministerial boundaries for holistic dev. of the child. Imp. of State rules and their alignment with the Act. To get all children into school, legal, social and political intervention needed. Working closely with States to facilitate RTE implementation. Road map for monitoring the implementation of the Act. Legal literacy is necessary and important. Establishment of a mechanism for addressing greviance issues. Working closely with teachers and SMCs at the school level as all policies get translated into action there.

Theme5: Best Practices Barriers faced Lack of infrastructure and teachers. Transportation. Home language different from school. English as a subject. CWSN and facilities for them. Teachers’ limited or lack of understanding about inclusion, equity, new pedagogies. Mismatch of equity demands with their past experiences and beliefs. Personal prejudices and belief in corporal punishment. Gender equity :Child marriage& labour, alcoholism, violence and forms of exploitation. Social and gender biases. Community traditions and beliefs. Better infra structure and appointment of teachers. Appropriate approaches in capacity building of teachers for providing equitable education. Building empathy, changing beliefs etc. Allocation of a body to deal with complaints. Community involvement. Creating a platform for sharing experiences and discussing strategies/solutions.

BEST PRACTICES: Lessons Learnt Imp. of dev. a common understanding of what equity is and how to translate it into action. Understanding the background of children and belief systems of different people. Enabling teachers to be reflective practitioners, sensitive and aware of their biases and ways to deal with the same. Addressing equity a collective effort on the part of schools and community critical. Conducting activities, discussion and reflecting on classroom practice by teachers, children and community- parents.

Best Practices : Lessons Learnt (Contd ) Dev. community linkages and env. building critical. Working at the child, household, school, community and macro/policy levels equally imp. Need to negotiate a collaborative space by NGOs and other orgs for upscaling. Accountability at the learner, school and systems level.

THEME 6 : CURRICULUM & PEDAGOGY Valuing and respecting the child’s identity, culture and lang. Linking new learning with past experiences. Promoting gender equitable classroom practice(seating, questioning,classroom management etc) Active engagement and participation of all children. Allowing adequate time for practice revision and consolidation. Access to variety of graded materials.