The ‘OEPS’ phenomenon

- Anurag Behar first posted @ https://www.livemint.com/Opinion/Y03kToC1ji3kdvHeamnCcK/Opinion--The-OEPS-phenomenon-is-undermining-education.html Unity in diversity—it’s one of those phrases that takes me straight back to my school days in the 1970s and 1980s. Pasted, printed and pushed in all sorts of places, from road signs to textbooks, it was one of the most visible slogans about India’s identity. The phrase...

What is the use of an academic conference these days?

Economics in action

Academic conferences have become one of the fraudulent activities these days. One gets a message almost every day about a conference on `everything under the sun’, with offers such as the publication of papers in `peer reviewed’ or `recognized’ journals. There must be a higher demand for such conferences by those who want to fill up their CVs with a long list of `conferences attended’ and to have a possible publication `fixed’ by the conference organizers. This conference business is like the other fraud industry emerging or thriving in academics, and that is the writing of PhD thesis for others. All the formal requirements for the entry to and promotions in academic professions (like the UGC performance appraisal systems) have enhanced the demand for such conferences and the profitability of the `suppliers’.

One can see big advertisements by private universities which organize a conference on one or other theme by…

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The Inclusion of People with Disabilities

Lessons from the Association of People with Disability By: V Santhakumar, Ankur Madan, Subrat Mishra 1. Introduction According to official statistics, People with Disabilities (PWDs) constitute 2.21% of the Indian population. Professionals who work in this domain may consider this figure as an underestimate. The total number of PWDs, even that based on official figures...

How much are women willing to sacrifice to avoid sexual harassment?

A study that is deeply moving- not surprising though, sadly. What are the broader ramifications of living in such environments? Not “just” for education but life at large... “How much are women willing to sacrifice to avoid sexual harassment? In India (Delhi), “women  are  willing  to  choose  a  college  in  the  bottom  half  of  the  quality ...

Care, Trust and Respect – Domestic Workers and their Employers

Rajesh Joseph, Roshni Lobo, Balmurli Natrajan Recently, Deepika Mhatre, domestic help and a stand-up comedian, gave a glimpse of how things have changed for her: “Appearing on stage has added to my confidence…some madams who bumped into me near the lifts spoke politely to me for the first time. Earlier, I had been invisible.” Read...

A Modest Proposal for Wealthy Countries to Reforest Their Land for the Common Good

By Erik Meijaard and Douglas Sheil ABSTRACT We discuss a recent press release calling on wealthy countries to do more to combat climate change and protect their biodiversity. We examine some further examples of how questionable views are imposed unilaterally on conservation problems. Until we better engage with local perspectives we shall be less credible...

Where are the missing boys?

Economics in action

Rema Devi and I have visited a set of schools and villages in the Samastipur district of Bihar very recently. There are interesting developments in education there.

First, there is a significant increase in the readiness to admit children in schools. Hence the enrolment has gone up substantially. This may be due to the limited improvement in, and investments for, human development that are happening in Bihar during the last 1-2 decades. These could be facilitated by the political mobilization of non-elites and the emergence of a competitive democracy there. Though some of the people who became literates through the Total Literacy Campaign might have relapsed to illiteracy (an issue that is noted here), there could be a substantial increase in the demand for schooling as an outcome of the campaign. That too may be reflecting in Bihar.

Currently, there are no major issues that work against sending girls…

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Living Utopias |November 14 – 19, 2018 | Odisha

We are happy to announce a short one week residential course titled, “Living Utopias”, in November 2018. The course provides a perspective to understand a) the urgency in combating the crisis of industrialism in the world today and b) the various alternatives in different spheres of a civilisation—ecology/ economy/ politics/ socio-cultural/ education and technology. The...

Social Actions That Followed the Total Literacy Campaign

Lessons from Malar (Kanyakumari District) By V Santhakumar, Anant Gangola, K K Krishna Kumar First posted @ http://practiceconnect.azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/2018/10/25/social-actions-that-followed-the-total-literacy-campaign/ 1. Introduction The Total Literacy Campaign (TLC) of the early 1990s was a major mass literacy initiative in India which brought governmental and non-governmental stakeholders together. It was the first time that a nationwide campaign was launched for...

Opinion | A fraying lifeline for India’s deprived children

Anurag Behar first posted @ https://www.livemint.com/Opinion/e2RSJjRWziEioCwUSFh6QK/Opinion--A-fraying-lifeline-for-Indias-deprived-children.html Tombstones for the young, without graves. Each a foot tall, clustered closely together. About half carved with black cobras, for the boys who died young. The other half colourful, for the girls who died young. Every phala has such a shrine. Phalas are hamlets of the Bhil in south...