Learning the online way: Experiences of a mother and teacher
The Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown that followed have changed the way we live our lives. For a large part of the workforce, work from home became a norm while for a few, no work and unemployment became a glaring reality. Media, mostly off-beat and non-commercial outlets, talked in detail about the repercussions on the […]
Teachers’ initiative for improving children’s performance in a government high school in Melige (Karnataka)
Located in Tirthahalli taluka of Shimoga district, Karnataka, Melige village has the highest literacy rate in comparison to other villages in the state (87.65%). Though its population is a modest number of 882 people, their sex ratio is higher than the state average (1100 as against 973 in Karnataka). The gender disparity in education is […]
Has privatisation of education widened the gaps?
I recently had the opportunity to visit Uttar Pradesh for a field study on understanding the governance structure and the institutional framework of policies, particularly focusing on children. As a part of my study, I had the chance to meet the frontline functionaries who diligently work for children – ANM (Auxiliary Nurse Midwife), ASHA (Accredited […]
My experiences with the UPSC Civil Services examination – From an ex-aspirant’s perspective
UPSC Civil Services examination is probably one of the toughest experiences one can go through. More than the technical aspects of the examination, overall as an experience, it can be challenging and takes a lot away from our personal lives. It offers people job security and in general, there is a lot of honour attached […]
‘Casteless hostels’: limits and possibilities
Spaces of formal education, whether they are schools, colleges or universities, are never about classroom learning alone. While the political activism of Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi, and University of Hyderabad (to some extent) may have caught the attention of national media over the last few years, it is important to recognise that in different […]
Precarity in Education: Insights from a study on the vocationalization of secondary education in India
Vocationalization of education in India was introduced fairly early in 1988 to offer vocational courses for two years alongside other subjects in higher secondary education. The programme was revised to the VHSE (Vocationalization of Higher Secondary Education) in 2011 with a view to cater to India’s economic growth and a growing demand for labour in […]
Development as Hegemony
Recently I attended a workshop on Indian Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) participation in developmental activities abroad. The meet was to discuss the implications of and the way forward for Indian civil society’s participation in regional and pan-regional development and cooperation activities. A number of reputed organisations who have had a long history in the development […]
The Nobel for Poverty
Angus Deaton, a professor at Princeton University, has been awarded the 2015 Nobel Prize in economics, for his econometric work in three fields: the estimation of demand systems, the use of microeconomic data is estimating aggregate consumption, especially his innovation of ‘pseudo panels’ based on cross section data, and his use of household consumption survey […]
The ‘Whats’ and ‘Whys’ of Teacher Motivation
In India, teachers have often been blamed for poor performance of government elementary schools. However, for a government school teacher in the 1990s, or even early 2000s, teaching the class and completing the curriculum were not the only challenges. Often, teachers struggled to get physical classrooms or even a single classroom for a particular class. […]
Bengaluru Rural District or Bangalore Feeder District?
Bengaluru Rural district is an administrative unit but lacks an identity; it is a district only in name. Bangalore district was bifurcated into two districts, Bangalore Urban and Bangalore Rural in 1986. It was further bifurcated in 2007 after Ramanagar district consisting of 4 taluks was carved out, leaving Bangalore Rural with only four taluks: […]