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: […]
Block Experience in Kashmir
As part of my Masters programme, I was placed with Borderless World Foundation in Kupwara, Kashmir for block placement in April-May 2010. The organisation runs homes for girl children in three districts – Kupwara, Budgam and Anantnag. They had also started a home in Jammu by then and had started with the intention of caring […]
OSR! OSR! Where’s my OSR?
“Just the place for a Snark! I have said it twice: That alone should encourage the crew. Just the place for a Snark! I have said it thrice: What I tell you three times is true.” The Hunting of the Snark By Lewis Carroll These thoughts come after my attending two mega meetings, on ‘Own […]
It is Quite Simple, Really
Everyone agrees that there is a lot of black money in the country. Some say it is 50% of Gross Domestic Product. Black money is generated when a transaction is either illegal, or is hidden from tax authorities. The easiest way of doing this is through cash transactions. Hence the popular notion of ‘suitcases’ of […]
Subsidise LED lamps!
When should subsidies be used as a policy tool? Can we use subsidies to encourage ‘desirable’ behaviour’, assuming for a moment that we agree on what it is. Would encouraging energy saving behaviour be a candidate for a subsidy if it can be shown to be in the larger public interest? There is an improved […]
It Takes Two to Tango
Governance is often seen as what the government does, which is only partly true. Although governance has been variously defined, most of them recognize that governance has two aspects – one, it is exercise of power and authority and two, it is about the government’s ability and capacity to effectively fulfill its mandate (for a […]
Remembering Dr. K.S. Krishnaswamy
“It is important that in the midst of an elitist euphoria that “India is Shining”, it is not forgotten that governments in the country should realise fully their responsibility towards the poor and the socially deprived. Globalisation and privatisation cannot perform the tasks which only reformed governments can do to assist this section of the […]
If it is broke, fix it!
They say ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’, meaning leave alone anything that is working fine. But if something is broken, it would be unwise not to fix it. Unlike in the west, we do not have a throw-away culture; from Apple Macs and Blackberrys to mixer grinders and umbrellas, everything is repaired. But, […]
Endorsing Candidates Across Parties: Promoting Apolitical Politics
Karnataka assembly elections just got over. The sight of small processions mainly consisting of women and adolescents coming from the class that forms the bulk of domestic help and other support services was common during the campaign process. It was not uncommon to see the same faces in processions shouting slogans for different parties. This […]
Comprehensive Government Finance Architecture – the Australian Example
“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” ~ Abraham Lincoln The Financial Rules, the Treasury Rules/Code, the Accounting Codes and the Civil Services Rules broadly provide internal controls in the Government of India and the state governments. These rules and codes comprise basic […]
Conflict of Interest – The Bottom Line
The Asian Development Bank defines corruption quite concisely as ‘abuse of public office for personal gain’. Conflict between personal interest and the public interest is implicit in all incidents of corruption. Any corrupt act invariably compromises the larger public interest. Whether it is the frauds in Commonwealth Games, the allocation of 2G, denotification of government […]
The Cost effectiveness of Radio Programs in Primary Schools of Karnataka
Centre for Budget and Policy Studies recently undertook a study called Cost effectiveness of the Radio Programs in the state of Karnataka. This blog has been written from experiences the author had while conducting the impact evaluations of the Radio programs in 20 schools of Karnataka. Radio Programs (Interactive Radio Instructions) have been the chosen […]
The Incentive Mechanisms of the Rashtriya Swastha Bima Yojana (RSBY) – Are They Geared for Service Delivery? The Case of Karnataka
This article was written after the Centre for Budget and Policy Studies completed a household survey in the district of Shimoga in Karnataka in November 2010. The team had been interacting with various stakeholders – the department of labour, the insurance company, the district officers, hospital administrators and the beneficiaries of the scheme over the […]
The Elephant in the Insurance Controversy Room
I have been witness to many instances where hospitals overcharge as soon as they know you hold an insurance policy. A friend of mine was charged around Rs 250/- for a simple Out Patient Discharge because she happened to mention she had insurance. If she hadn’t, it could not have cost more than Rs 100/- […]
Mothers Day, a Reflection
May 9th was celebrated around the world as Mothers Day. A day where the urban population in India took some time to celebrate their mothers and her influence in their lives. However, in India, Mothers Day has very little meaning to the 254 mothers out of 100,000 who die every year during or after child […]
Ensuring Women’s Representation in Parliament and State Legislatures
The proposal to reserve one-third of the seats in Parliament and the state assemblies for women has passed in the Rajya Sabha, but has stalled in the Lok Sabha. The opponents of the Bill want ‘quotas within quotas’. But this is a polite way of opposing the Bill. The men are worried about having a […]