Inclusive education in India

Consortium for Research on Educational Access, Transitions and Equity

Inclusive Education in India: Interpretation, Implementation, and Issues

Katharine Giffard-Lindsay

CREATE PATHWAYS TO ACCESS Research Monograph No 15 September 2007

University of Sussex Centre for International Education

The Consortium for Educational Access, Transitions and Equity (CREATE) is a Research Programme Consortium supported by the UK Department for International Development (DFID). Its purpose is to undertake research designed to improve access to basic education in developing countries. It seeks to achieve this through generating new knowledge and encouraging its application through effective communication and dissemination to national and international development agencies, national governments, education and development professionals, non-government organisations and other interested stakeholders.

Access to basic education lies at the heart of development. Lack of educational access, and securely acquired knowledge and skill, is both a part of the definition of poverty, and a means for its diminution. Sustained access to meaningful learning that has value is critical to long term improvements in productivity, the reduction of inter-generational cycles of poverty, demographic transition, preventive health care, the empowerment of women, and reductions in inequality.

The CREATE partners

CREATE is developing its research collaboratively with partners in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The lead partner of CREATE is the Centre for International Education at the University of Sussex. The partners are:

The Centre for International Education, University of Sussex: Professor Keith M Lewin (Director) The Institute of Education and Development, BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangladesh: Dr Manzoor Ahmed The National University of Educational Planning and Administration, Delhi, India: Professor R Govinda

The Education Policy Unit, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa: Dr Shireen Motala The Universities of Education at Winneba and Cape Coast, Ghana: Professor Jerome Djangmah

The Institute of Education, University of London: Professor Angela W Little Associate Partner: The Institute of Development Studies at Sussex

Disclaimer The research on which this paper is based was commissioned by the Consortium for Research on Educational Access, Transitions and Equity (CREATE ). CREATE is funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) for the benefit of developing countries and is coordinated from the Centre for International Education, University of Sussex. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of DFID, the University of Sussex, or the CREATE Team.

Copyright ? CREATE 2007 ISBN: 0-901881-17-1

Address for correspondence: CREATE, Centre for International Education, Sussex School of Education, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9QQ, United Kingdom

Tel: Fax: Author Email: Website: Email:

+ 44 (0) 1273 678464 + 44 (0) 1273 877534 kzglindsay@yahoo.co.uk create@sussex.ac.uk

Please contact CREATE using the details above if you require a hard copy of this publication.

Inclusive Education in India: Interpretation, Implementation, and Issues

Katharine Giffard-Lindsay

CREATE PATHWAYS TO ACCESS Research Monograph No 15

Contents

1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 1 2. Literature Review ............................................................................................................... 2

2.1 What is disability?.................................................................................................. 2 2.2 Why is disability a development issue? .................................................................. 3 2.3 EFA and children with disabilities.......................................................................... 3 2.4 What is inclusive education?................................................................................... 4 2.5 Merging agendas? ................................................................................................... 5 3. The Context ........................................................................................................................ 7 3.1 Size and diversity .................................................................................................... 7 3.2 Society and Culture ? perceptions of disability ...................................................... 8 3.3 Conceptual understandings of Inclusive Education in India................................. 10 4. Implementation, Issues and Constraints ........................................................................... 12 4.1 IE Programmes...................................................................................................... 12

4.1.1 Government Programmes ......................................................................... 12 4.1.2 NGO Programmes .................................................................................... 14 4.1.3 Private schools .......................................................................................... 16 4.2 Education Policy ................................................................................................... 17 4.2.1 Administrative Structure........................................................................... 17 4.2.2 Inclusive Education Policy ...................................................................... 18 4.2.3 Teacher Education .................................................................................... 20 4.2.4 Resources.................................................................................................. 21 5. Implications ...................................................................................................................... 23 5.1 Policy Implementation .......................................................................................... 23 5.2 School Quality....................................................................................................... 24 5.3 Attitudinal Change ................................................................................................ 25 5.4 Research ................................................................................................................ 26 6. Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 28 References ............................................................................................................................ 29 Appendices ........................................................................................................................... 35

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Acronyms

CREATE

DFID DPEP DPO EFA IE IEDC MHRD MSJE NAB NCERT NGO NIEPA OB OBC PDA PIED RCI SC SIDA SIDH SSA ST UNESCO UNICEF

Consortium for Research on Educational Access, Transitions, and Equity Department for International Development District Primary Education Programme Disabled People's Organisation Education for all Inclusive Education Integrated Education for Disabled Children Ministry of Human Resource Development Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment National Association for the Blind National Council of Educational Research and Training Non-Government Organisation National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration Operation Blackboard Other Backward Castes/Community Persons with Disabilities Act Project on Integrated Education of the Disabled Rehabilitation Council of India Scheduled Caste Swedish International Development Association Society for the Integrated Development of the Himalayas Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Scheduled Tribe United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation United Nations Children's Fund

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