Un‘casting’ Universities: Examining the Intersections of Inclusive Curriculum and Dalit Pedagogies in a Private University in Bangalore, India

Abstract

Despite India’s constitutional dream to achieve equity and justice, caste still remains an issue of concern. Especially in the context of education, reports indicate a disparity in access and participation across gender, caste and other parameters (Hickey & Stratton, 2007). The prevalence of caste-based discrimination across universities and Dalit student suicides continue to be widely reported (Anderson, 2016; Niazi, 2022; Shantha, 2023; Nair, 2023). While the University Grants Commission, especially Mandal Commission and the Thorat Committee have placed certain recommendations, many universities fall short of implementing the same and even if they do, they don’t percolate to an informed student/ faculty/ administration policy (Sitlhou, 2017). Lack of a well-defined policy, its implementation and the disconnect between curriculum and pedagogy has resulted in an erasure of the discourse on caste within higher education institutions. Furthermore, the disconnect has promoted a sense of alienation in educational institutions wherein some students graduate from school or universities without any exposure to caste as a social problem and some students face humiliation routinely. This project is an autoethnographic study of classrooms in a private university in Bangalore to understand the gaps that emerge from the disconnect between curriculum, pedagogy and comprehension of students about caste and present an alternative pedagogical paradigm that is situated, participatory, historical and critical.

Дослідження Академічної Обдарованості Майбутніх Учителів

“…The research findings of R. Das (2023) testify to excessive use of theoretical work in education and, as a consequence, the formation of alienation from a future profession. A total theoretical component contradicts the formation of academic Reproductive activeness does not contribute to the development of personal creativity and academic giftedness.…”

“…Вони мають бути агентами змін на своїх майбутніх робочих місцях. Для цього необхідно зменшити тиск регламентної складової, бо навчання зазвичай переобтяжене відтворювальними завданнями, тобто репродуктивною активністю, яка є рутинною й суперечить розвитку надситуативної активності.Про надмірне використання теоретичної роботи в навчанні і, як наслідок, формування відчуження від майбутньої професії свідчать результати дослідження R Das (2023)…”