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Linking education with Health: Lessons from children of migrant construction labourers in India
Full text linkChildren accompanied by migrant families in India are less often allowed to exercise their rights due to social, economic and political factors in an urban locale. There is a law preventing child labour and many interventions were being implemented to protect these vulnerable children. One of the recent campaigns is the ‘schooling of migrant children’ initiated by many government schools and non-governmental organizations across the country. With this concept, this paper was performed a media content review of various interventions implemented to address schooling of migrant children of construction labourers and the review revealed a very grim picture of the complexity of the issue.
The interventions were taken three different approaches; (i) children were directly mainstreamed into the government school driven by local government (ii) bridge schools were driven by non-governmental organizations for the children of first-generation learners and those discontinued their learning due to family migration. Bridge schools are found in various forms such as tent school, worksite school, moving school, study centres and community schools, finally (iii) seasonal hostel model for migrant children mainly at the source of migration.
The content review arises the following discussion points: (i) what is the objective of the schooling of migrant children? (ii) what is the impact of the schooling of migrant children on the under-five children or mainly their younger siblings below under-five years age? (iii) is there any curriculum for bridging the learning gap? (iv) besides education, are health and nutrition being considered essential for the improvement in learning outcome? and (v) is the tracking mechanism effective enough to continue schooling of the migrant children?
This paper recommends the following policy implications: a compulsory bridging programme for migrant children, compulsory health-checkup and supplementary nutrition along with education and inter-state partnership in addressing schooling of migrant children.
DOI: 10.5958/2347-6869.2020.00007.
Major Challenges of Sustainable Development Today: The Need for a Comprehensive Global Environmental Policy
Full text linkSustainable development emerged as a concept in the early sixties when the ruthless industrialization in the developed countries started showing visible signs of natural degradation and problems of pollution and ill health. Sustainable development became a wholesome word after the Brundtland Commission Report of 1987 (World Commission on Environment and Development, & Brundtland, G. H., 1987). It has three fundamental principles of inter-generational equity and justice, intra-generational equity and justice and that of the respect for the carrying capacity of the land. Since the definition given by the report fails to define the processes underlying the complexities and contradictions within which international decisions are taken, the industrialized and the less-industrialized countries have defined the term to suit their own requirements. However, there is a basic value inherent in this concept which everyone agrees to and that is the respect for human needs only in relation to the environmental capability to support the largest number of people to the longest possible time frame. However, only within the last decade have these activities focused more directly on pollution prevention and is suffering major challenges thereby there is a need for a comprehensive global environmental policy. Despite the substantial efforts that are now aimed at improving source reduction as well as tailoring processes to separate, recycle and reuse by-products, still, there is a need to seriously act on the need for survival.
DOI: 10.5958/2347-6869.2019.00008.
Food Adulteration in Contemporary India: Emerging Trends and Remedies
Full text linkFood Adulteration can be defined as the practice of adulterating food or contamination of food materials by adding few substances which are collectively called the adulterants. Adulterants are the substance or poor quality products added to food items for economic and technical benefits. Addition of these adulterants reduces the value of nutrients in food and also contaminates the food, which is not fit for consumption. Food adulteration rate in India has almost doubled over the last 5 years according to data sourced from FSSAI annual reports. Food adulteration rate in India stood at 13% in 2011-12 which increased to 23% in 2016-17. Against this backdrop, this paper attempts to explain the emerging trends of food adulteration in India and its remedies.
DOI: 10.5958/2347-6869.2020.00008.
Environmental policy development at the global level: Issues and prospects
Full text linkDue to the increased ecological crisis, there has been a corresponding spread of awareness and concern for environmental protection and conservation all over the world. There has been a growing recognition that many environmental problems, in particular, those of a trans-boundary nature, cannot be successfully tackled solely at the national level. Nation-states can no longer act alone to solve many of the environmental problems that they face. States, along with other international actors, have responded by creating international ‘regimes’ in an attempt to tackle problems ranging from ozone depletion and climate change to biodiversity loss and toxic waste exports (Connelly, J., Smith, G., Benson, D., & Saunders, C., 2012, p.250). The idea of global environmental governance took place to address the environmental challenges at the global platform. The idea of environmental governance is to govern the environment through a range of nation-states and non-state actors such as national governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other international organizations such as UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme). Environmental governance is the answer to calls for new forms of environmental challenges and complexities. It is perceived to be an effective form of multilateral management and essential to the global community in meeting goals of mitigation and the possible reversal of the human impacts on the global environment. The present article discusses the global response to environmental issues.
DOI: 10.5958/2347-6869.2019.00002.
Global Goals and Local Institutions: Understanding PRIs in the Context of Sustainable Development Goals
Full text linkThe Agenda 2030 – Sustainable Development Goals, offers unprecedented scope for local governance institutions to contribute towards global sustainability. Local Government Institutions are the best-placed to connect global priorities to local communities. Local governments play a vital role in turning the global vision of SDGs into a local reality. Local communities and stakeholders are crucial partners implementing and realizing the aspirations of the Agenda 2030 as they know individual and collective needs and capacities best (Steiner A.,2017). In this context, the paper attempts to explore the role of Panchayati Raj Institutions (Rural Local Government Institutions in India) in achieving sustainable development goals. The paper tries to bring out the scope and challenges of PRIs in the context of attaining the SDGs.
DOI: 10.5958/2347-6869.2020.00003.
Gandhian Idea of Nai Talim in Contemporary India: Possibilities and Challenges
Full text linkQuality education encourages social development and reduces social inequality and is a means to attain gender equality. Education fosters tolerance and contributes to a more sustainable society. It prepares people with knowledge, skills and self-reliance, which open avenues for expanding opportunities for employment and overall development of an individual. It gives people a voice and increases a nation’s productivity and competitiveness, which is an instrument of social and political progress.
Mahatma Gandhi’s vision about quality education focuses on learning basic skills and all-round development of human personality that includes physical, intellectual, and spiritual development, a key component of quality education. Buniyadi Shiksha, ‘Basic Education’ also known as Nai Talim, was the foundation of educational practices as envisioned by Mahatma Gandhi. It was introduced in 1937 at Wardha and subsequently became known as Wardha Scheme or Basic National Education. It focuses on developing qualities that are necessary for building a non-violent sustainable society. The idea was firmly against exploitation and centralization.
India is committed to achieving the goals as mentioned in the Agenda 2030 of the Sustainable Development Goals. Ensuring quality education is a crucial development goal that India seeks to achieve. In this backdrop, the paper argues that Nai Talim or Wardha Scheme could be a road map for an egalitarian and empowered Indian society. A major challenge India faces today is that whether our present education pattern capable of building a sustainable society. Does it provide the younger generation with the required knowledge base to become a responsible and conscious citizen? The paper will analyse the basic principles of Nai Talim in terms of educational curriculum and pedagogy and examine its role in contemporary India.
DOI: 10.5958/2347-6869.2020.00002.
Environmental Protection and Conservation in India
Full text linkIn the 21st century, conservation and protection of the environment have become a big issue in every country, whether developed or developing. India has taken a number of steps in this direction, but how far those are relevant, only future will tell, but there is no doubt that since ancient times, there are guidelines and prescription for the environment management. The sacred books, scriptures, Vedas, Puranas including the epics Mahabharat and Ramayan mentioned about the protection of the environment. For this purpose, environment resources like trees, rivers, mountains, lands, etc. were attached to the religion so that they become part and parcel of everyday life of people and they follow in their daily routine. In medieval times also, there were prescriptions for environment conservation. In modern times, mainly after independence, various laws, rules, regulations, by-laws, and policies have been formulated for the protection of the environment in India. A number of organizations/institutes like Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; National Green Tribunal; Central Pollution Control Board have been established for the environment management.
DOI: 10.5958/2347-6869.2019.00001.
Effect of Religion and Education on Fertility in the EAG States in India: Evidence from NFHS-4
Full text linkThe study seeks to explore the relationship between the level of education of women and its influence on the fertility in Empowered Action Group (EAG) states of India. In addition, the interplay of education and fertility is further affected by religion, which acts as the determinants of fertility. The birth intervals, age at first birth, desire for another child are major determinants of fertility which are taken into consideration for the study. It is pertinent to understand how the level of education and religion of an individual affects the fertility and to what extent. The broader objective of the study is to determine the association between education, religion, and fertility and to further examine the proximate factors that influence the fertility of a woman. The study utilizes the Demographic and Health Surveys, that includes basic information about the household and women in the childbearing ages. This study focuses on the survey of women in reproductive age which would provide active information about fertility. The population defined in the study are the north Indian states that are categorized as EAG (Empowered Action Group) states. Multivariate regression analysis was used to examine the variation in the relationship between fertility and individual and state-level characteristics.
DOI: 10.5958/2347-6869.2020.00005.
The Role of Social Accountability in Effective Public Service Delivery
Full text linkThe paper highlights that in low and middle-income democracies citizens largely depend on the state for provisions of basic services like health, infrastructure, education etc. At the same time, it has been observed that such countries face problems of dismissal performance of service delivery due to absenteeism among service providers like doctors, teacher etc. There are also other factors like public fund leakages, red-tapism that obstructs public service delivery. All this has led to an idea of citizens contributing to better public service delivery by holding policymakers and service providers accountable. This phenomenon is where citizens ensure accountability of service providers. The paper highlights various social accountability tools like citizens charters, RTI, Right to Service Acts, Social Audit, Public Hearing etc. that aim to inform citizens about their rights, the standard of service delivery they should expect and actual performance, along with grievance redressal mechanism. NGOs, civic societies have been experimenting with various social accountability tools to improve public service delivery.
The paper reviews how citizens individually and collectively can influence service delivery through access to information and opportunities to use it to hold providers both frontline service providers and programme managers accountable. The paper focuses on social accountability measures that increase transparency in public services. The paper also takes stock of international evidence and analyses how social accountability has changed the governance structure worldwide.
The paper concludes by highlighting measures needed to strengthen social accountability to bring about a vibrant and effective public service delivery system. Paper also talks about that there is ample space for future experiments to test how to make social accountability work at the country level.
DOI: 10.5958/2347-6869.2020.00004.
Higher Education in India: Measures for Consolidating the Quality of Teaching
Full text linkThis paper examines select micro-level considerations as it portrays the strategies for academic excellence in the country’s higher education sector.
What light does the etymology of the two words – ‘university’ and ‘college’ – throw on the soul of the respective jurisdictions?
A “university” is by definition an entity of universalistic values: the term (university) traces its origin to the word “universe”. Recourse to the internet in tracing the etymology of the word is an exciting exercise. One rudimentary hint one draws from this search is that a university is a community of masters and scholars who are devoted to the search for truth.
Likewise, the word “college” which is, etymologically, a derivative of “collegial”: in using the word “collegial” reference is in essence to that which involves shared responsibility, as among a group of colleagues. A college is thus an institution committed to the values of collegiality. The emphasis is that teachers and students, of the entity called college, relate with each other as peers, not superior and subordinate. This stresses ‘horizontality’, ‘exchange’ and ‘give and take’ between the two players: namely, the teacher and the student. This elevates teaching into a demand-driven process where the teacher tailors the inputs to suit the needs of the student. In other words, does not allow teaching to degenerate into a ritual. This pictures the teacher as a missionary in the domain of knowledge-creation and knowledge-dissemination.
In that background, the paper focuses first on the matters that determine the quality of the teacher-student interface. Three issues warrant a specific mention as one looks for the means to underline what it takes to elevate the level. These are as under:
Topic-wise Reading-list,
Lecture-end Feedback, and
Tutorials, Home-Assignments and the availability of the course-instructor for consultation beyond the class-hours
The paper focuses next on the dire need to launch a country-wide campaign to translate the classics of the respective disciplines in the Hindi and Regional Languages.
DOI: 10.5958/2347-6869.2020.00001.