Radhika Iyengar

After the Smoke Clears: Toward Education for Sustainable Development in Bhopal, India

This article examines approaches to environmental education in Bhopal, India. It is an attempt to understand how much environmental education as a topic has been incorporated into formal curricula. An analysis of state and national syllabi indicates a focus on conventional, natural sciences approaches to the environment, thus neglecting the social science aspects of education for sustainable development across all grade levels. Environmental disasters are given a very general treatment with no contextual link to incidents like the Bhopal gas tragedy of 1984. Social dimensions like environmental citizenship are also minimally mentioned. Finally, the article highlights the large gap between national educational policy frameworks and the actual incorporation of environmental education in state and national textbooks.

The Use of Technology for Large-scale Education Planning and Decision-making

In 2007, Nigeria made history by launching the Conditional Grants Scheme (CGS), one of the worlds largest poverty elimination campaigns aimed at achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. As part of CGS, the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President of Nigeria on the MDGs (OSSAP-MDGs) collaborated with The Earth Institute, Columbia University to develop the Nigeria MDG Information System (NMIS), a web-based platform designed to support data-driven decision-making, local-level planning, and budgeting by Local Government Areas. This paper discusses the evolution of NMIS as a data repository and describes its uses. NMIS maps and visually displays school-related data that can be used for education planning. NMIS illustrates the integration of educational and technological innovations and demonstrates ways in which challenges related to Education Management Information Systems can be overcome. NMIS could serve as a good example for other developing countries that seek to create large databases for public planning. This paper shares lessons learned in terms of the content, design, and potential uses of such information systems for local-level education planning. This paper concludes by highlighting that a data system alone is not sufficient to ensure effective analysis and use of data and multiple rounds of end-user training and case studies must accompany the system.

Comparative Perspectives on Teacher Education in South Asia

Abstract This discussion essay provides an overview of teacher preparation programs in South Asia, detailing current innovative practices, challenges and trends regarding teacher education in the region. The chapter presents initiatives in several South Asian countries in terms of the design and implementation of in-service teacher trainings, pre-service teacher education programs, and distance education programs in South Asia. The main concept of the essay is to provide a comparative perspective to learn from field-based initiatives with the aim of improving the quality of the programs. It also highlights new trends such as the English education programs and ICT-based teacher training programs. It acknowledges that culture and context form a large part of the success for any education initiative. While doing so, a more holistic approach to improving teacher quality is emphasized. Finally, the essay concludes by sharing some ideas on developing conducive teaching–learning environments in the schools to support teachers. This essay should benefit policy makers and practitioners to: (a) obtain an overview of teacher quality programs in South Asia; and (b) comparatively learn from the experiences of countries in South Asia that have both numerous similarities and some differences.

Forms of Social Capital in India: A Case Study of Jhabua District

This paper derives literature-based components of social capital. Since social capital changes form given the context, the paper uses the theoretical concepts of social capital to observe how they play out in rural tribal India. A qualitative data-coding software is used to sieve through the literature as well as to analyze the empirical data from Jhabua. The coding procedure combines theoretical codes based on previous literature and emergent codes derived from interview data. The paper suggests that not all forms of social capital are positive. However, each component must be clearly understood to promote community-driven actions towards development.

Social capital as the catalyst for school participation

This article investigates the association between social capital and education in Jhabua, a tribal dominated district of central India. The case study analysis showed a disconnection between social capital and education in the majority of the villages. However, two of the fourteen villages showed that empowerment of the civil society made formal social organizations like PTAs effective, and also that informal networks play a key role in accountability. This article presents the case that although institutional structures are in place to promote the role of social capital in education, social capital effectiveness depends on a community-based catalyst.

Introduction: Participatory Action Research and Education—Key Approaches and Debates

Participation has become a prominent idea in contemporary social change discourses. Over the years, Participatory Action Research (PAR) processes have been interpreted and new knowledge and solutions have been employed in an increasing number of ways. Chapters in this volume provide a snapshot of some of the emerging purposes and interpretations of PAR in education in South Asian countries. This introduction chapter provides a brief overview of key debates, actors, processes, and challenges presented by the various authors of this edition, in addition to laying out its organization.