‘Educational research in India focuses, very often, on improving peda- gogical practices. This volume attempts to link educational processes and progress with broader issues of economic and social development from comparative and interdisciplinary perspectives. The discussions on equity and inclusion, gender, marginalisation and employability contextualise the issues to be prioritised for education policy and re- search in India. It brings together young researchers and their critical analyses and understanding, and the volume makes a good contribu- tion to deepen our understanding of the discourses on educational re- search in India.’ N.V. Varghese, Vice Chancellor, National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration, New Delhi, India ‘When young researchers come together, look at the landscape of edu- cation in India with heightened critical consciousness and empirical de- tails, and raise sociologically relevant questions, I see a possibility, or a language of hope. Yes, this edited volume expands our horizon, and makes us see the prevalent practice of education while being deeply aware of the dynamics of caste and patriarchy, or urban marginali- ties and regional variations. A book of this kind is bound to activate the socio-political and pedagogic imagination of educationists, teachers and researchers.’ Avijit Pathak, Professor of Sociology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India Contextualising Educational Studies in India This volume presents an interdisciplinary framework to map out contem- porary educational studies in India. Based on conceptual tools, quantita- tive methods and ethnographic accounts drawn from extensive fieldwork, it addresses emerging discourses on educational policies, their operation in the everyday functioning of institutions and actual practices in teaching and learning. Individual chapters discuss the intersectionality in the current educational system of region, gender, class, caste and minorities. With comparative perspectives and case studies from across states, including under-studied rural and urban regions of India, the book explores a wide range of issues affecting the educational system, including socioec- onomic and gender inequalities; the educational status of tribal settlements in the hinterlands and their respective urban areas; the marginalisation of minorities; challenges in accessing educational avenues and choices; and the model for imparting vocational education and training. It navigates com- plex sites of discrimination and exclusion in the institutional spaces of the educational system and assesses the consequences of market dynamics and ideological undercurrents. Presenting first-hand information from the field, it evaluates educational policies, practices and research; investigates chal- lenges and failures; provides suggestions and fosters critical thinking for a knowledge society. The findings in this book will be of interest to researchers, scholars and teachers of education, economics, sociology, urban education and the pol- itics of education, as well as of public policy, governance and development studies. It will also be useful to research institutions, policymakers, edu- cationists, social scientists, education professionals, and governmental and non-governmental bodies working on education. Pradeep Kumar Choudhury teaches at the Zakir Husain Centre for Edu- cational Studies, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India. Previously, he worked at the Institute for Studies in Industrial Devel- opment and Public Health Foundation of India. His research covers applied development economics, especially issues related to education, health and labour. Currently, he is collaborating with Delhi Research Implementation and Innovation (DRIIV) cluster (‘Effective Education’ vertical), coordinated by IIT Delhi, and sponsored by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. He recently completed an international collaborative study with the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University, USA, that assesses and improves student learning in engineering and higher education in a comparative international perspective. Suresh Babu G.S teaches at the Zakir Husain Centre for Educational Stud- ies, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India. Before this, he was on faculty at the University of Jammu. His research focuses on the postcolonial debates of subaltern communities in India and investigates the role of education in shaping the cultural politics. He edited Education and the Public Sphere: Exploring the Structures of Mediation in Post-Colo- nial India (Routledge 2019). Contextualising Educational Studies in India Research, Policy and Practices Edited by Pradeep Kumar Choudhury and Suresh Babu G.S First published 2021 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business © 2021 selection and editorial matter, Pradeep Kumar Choudhury and Suresh Babu G.S; individual chapters, the contributors The right of Pradeep Kumar Choudhury and Suresh Babu G.S to be identified as the authors of the editorial material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record has been requested for this book ISBN: 978-0-367-51969-8 (hbk) ISBN: 978-0-367-76537-8 (pbk) ISBN: 978-1-003-09899-7 (ebk) Typeset in Sabon by SPi Global, India Contents List of figures ix List of tables x Foreword xi Acknowledgments xiii List of contributors xv Introduction: Mapping the field of education policy research 1 PRADEEP KUMAR CHOUDHURY AND SURESH BABU G.S PART I Equity, access and inclusion in school education 27 1 Problems of equity and access in education: A case of school-merging policy 29 AYSHA MALIK 2 Multilingual Education (MLE) for inclusion: The case of a tribal community 49 LIPIKA DAS PART II Women and minorities in higher education 71 3 Legitimising patriarchy in the private educational system? A case study of a women’s university in Rajasthan 73 RAVI SHANKAR AND REENU RAM 4 The inclusion of minorities in the changing dynamics of education 91 CHINGIZ KHAN viii Contents PART III Youth, urban marginality and education: A contested terrain 111 5 Education, youth and labour market: A case of urban marginalities 113 NAOMI PRACHI HAZARIKA 6 Educational choices of Gujjars in the urban peripheries 131 HEENA KHARI 7 Contesting learning spaces in higher education: Problems of language acquisition 148 ANUP KUMAR BALI PART IV Knowledge and labour market: Redefining skills and aspirations 167 8 Higher education and knowledge-based industries: Understanding geographical preferences 169 SUMIT KUMAR 9 Students’ aspirations for social sciences: Explorations from a field survey 187 AAKRITI SAINI 10 Imparting vocational education and training through higher education institutions: An integrative model 205 ANTARA SENGUPTA AND LEENA CHANDRAN WADIA Index 225 Figures 1.1 Block-wise merging of schools in Jaipur District (2013–2014 to 2015–2016) 36 1.2 District-wise merger of schools in Rajasthan (2013–2016) 37 4.1 Enrolment of Muslim and other minority communities in higher education in Manipur (2012–2018) 97 6.1 Trends in the educational achievement of the total population of Gujjars in Mandawali 139 6.2 Trends in the educational achievement of the male population of Gujjars in Mandawali 140 6.3 Trends in the educational achievement of the female population of Gujjars in Mandawali 140 6.4 Income sources of Mandawali villagers 143 7.1 Distribution of students with school fee per month 153 8.1 Lorenz Curve representing the inequality in the distributions of KBIs, HEIs and THEIs 174 9.1 Aspirations of students after graduation 195 9.2 Preferred work area based on gender 196 10.1 Verticals (industry sectors) in which courses are being offered at the School of Vocational Education of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS-SVE) as of 2019 213 10.2 Growth of enrolment in B.Voc courses at the TISS-SVE 213 10.3 The work-integrated training model developed by the TISS-SVE, showing the respective roles and responsibilities of each of its three sets of partners 216