From the Bottom-up in Tribal India: Sustainable Decision-Making in Education Planning

Critics have contested that global goals in education have failed to reach the marginalised, potentially exacerbating their problems and widening the gap of inequality. India is a clear illustration of this, whereby access to... [ view full abstract ]

Critics have contested that global goals in education have failed to reach the marginalised, potentially exacerbating their problems and widening the gap of inequality. India is a clear illustration of this, whereby access to schools have improved, with enrolment and attendance figures at their highest. However, standards in teaching and learning outcomes are ‘stuck’ with a gap between privately-run urban schools and rural government schools continuing. How can education planning and policy address these issues? This talk aims to spark debate around education planning and policy making from the ground up within ‘marginalised’, rural communities in partnership with NGOs. The aim is not to present a panacea for all contexts, but rather to offer an example of how a small, remote community have taken the planning and implementation of a school into their own hands. With strong support from the local government, a network of small NGOs in collaboration with the local elite and parents have planned and continue to manage the school. The approach taken allows for decisions to be owned by local leaders and for alternative funding resources to be generated through a social enterprise model. This engenders an organic approach to planning, which is slow and flexible. Far from this being undesirable, a steady pace has allowed the time for strong relationships to develop and deep understandings to emerge. What lessons can be learnt from this model and in what ways could this approach be adopted and adapted on a larger scale?