This open access book offers a unique and refreshing view on working with social theory in higher education. Using engaging first-person accounts coupled with critical intellectual analysis, the authors demonstrate how theory is grappled with as part of an ongoing practice rather than a momentary disembodied encounter. In a structure that creates…

This article provides an account of the recent literature on inclusive education, addressing its meaning and significance for school education in postcolonial India. I engage with the major theoretical debates in the academic literature on inclusive education and examine their historical trajectories globally through policy documents. I then…

Today's educators stand at the crossroads of globalization and technology. The world is rapidly shrinking. The workplace is being transformed before our very eyes. Technology is forever changing the way we perceive reality and the way we do business. Educators are required to equip students for a workplace that has yet to emerge. The skill sets of…

During the last decade there has been an explosion of institutions of higher learning and research throughout India focusing on various aspects of development and on the social sciences. The development of ideas concerning social science research and its priorities as part of India's intellectual history are discussed. (RM)

This paper uses experiences in Pakistan to address issues in the application of European-based principles of disability-related concepts and services to cultures in South Asia, especially Pakistan and India. Emphasis is on understanding the South Asian conceptual world of disability so that "development" rather than "transfer"…

In light of Marxist, Western diffusionist, and dependency theories of change in developing nations, the author explores the relationship between the colonial penetration of India through the introduction of English education in the early nineteenth century and the elimination of indigenous schools already well developed at that time. (Author/SJL)

Provides background information on India's educational system. Focuses on history teaching in India after independence from British rule. Addresses the role of textbooks in the curriculum and types of instructional strategies. Considers some critical issues in the teaching of history in Indian schools. (CMK)

The critical importance of the early childhood years and the rights perspective to human development has made policy and programming for early childhood development an imperative for every nation. In India, poverty, changing economic and social structures resulting in the breakdown of traditional coping mechanisms and family care systems, and the…

In Bihar, India, the number of illiterate people has increased during the last 5 decades despite the rise in the percentage of literacy. Reasons are lack of encouragement by the upper classes for education of the masses, lack of unity among lower classes to demand education as a matter of right, and a low base of development. The Mass Literacy…

This paper examines the cultural traditions of South Asia, especially India and Pakistan, regarding the education of children with special needs. This valuable cultural heritage has been largely ignored in the inflow of western educational ideas and the professionalization of special education, especially in the late 19th century. Improved…

Since India gained its independence in 1947, three important commissions have examined the issue of educational reform. The first (in 1948) recommended a vocational emphasis in the intermediate (predegree) courses without sacrificing emphasis on preparation for university education. In 1954, the Secondary Education Commission resulted in the…

The book contains articles and excerpts from works of leading educators and scholars associated with problems of adult education in India. The readings are presented in five sections. The first section, Historical Perspective, deals with the progress of adult education (from the beginning of British rule to the present day) and extension services.…

A discussion of the difficulties and progress of Indian higher education in the postcolonial era concludes that, although there have been some gains, problems exist in overexpansion, inadequate resources, political influences, and general lack of vigor in the higher education system. Several initiatives are suggested. (MSE)

The present article attempts to study financing patterns of elementary education in Uttar Pradesh. A review of educational development in the state reveals that the goal of universalizing elementary education in a resource-poor state seems to be elusive in the near future. Neither the financing pattern of education per se nor elementary education…