Re-imagining curriculum in India: Charting a path beyond the pandemic

Area of Science:

• Sociology of Education
• Critical Pedagogy
• Educational Policy in India

Background:

• The Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated existing economic, health, caste, gender, and educational disparities in India.
• Neoliberal reforms have entrenched educational inequality, impacting livelihoods and access to basic needs.
• Governments have largely resisted rethinking educational systems post-pandemic.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the purpose and meaning of education through a socio-historical lens in the context of the pandemic.
• To explore how principles of equity and justice, as enshrined in India's Constitution, can be integrated into curricula.
• To reflect on curriculum's potential role in fostering an ecologically and socially just world.

Main Methods:

• Socio-historical analysis of educational systems and their societal impact.
• Critical examination of existing curricula and pedagogic approaches.
• Conceptual reflection on transformative education and epistemic justice.

Main Results:

• The pandemic has underscored the inadequacy of current educational frameworks in addressing societal inequalities.
• A critical re-evaluation of curriculum is necessary to embed principles of equity and justice.
• Subaltern disciplines and transformative pedagogies are vital for educational reform.

Conclusions:

• Curriculum reform is essential to address the multifaceted inequalities exposed by the pandemic.
• Integrating constitutional values of equity and justice into education is paramount.
• Transformative pedagogies and recognition of subaltern knowledge are key to achieving epistemic justice and a more equitable world.