Education in India

India's success in reducing endemic deprivation since Independence has been quite limited. Recent diagnoses of this failure of policy have concentrated on the counterproductive role of government regulation, and on the need for economic incentives to accelerate the growth of the economy. This book argues that an assessment of India's failure to eliminate basic deprivations has to go beyond this limited focus, and to take note of the role played in that failure by inadequate public involvement in the provision of basic education, health care, social security, and related fields, Even the fostering of fast and participatory economic growth requires some basic social change, which is not addressed by liberalization and economic incentives. The authors also discuss the historical antecedents of these political and social neglects, including the distortion of policy priorities arising from inequalities of political power. Following on from this, the book considers the scope for public action to address these earlier biases and achieve a transformation of policy priorities. Beginning with an introductory chapter presenting the motivation, focus, and approach of the book, it discusses the respective roles of the market mechanism and government action in economic development and discusses the particular role of public involvement in the fields of health and education. International comparisons of development experiences are brought to bear on the diagnosis of India's successes and failures, and the work discusses the lessons to be learnt from the contrasting development experiences of different states within India, with particular attention to Kerala's outstanding success in social fields. The authors consider the role of public action and political organization in promoting social opportunities. Attention is drawn, in particular, to the part played by widespread illiteracy in suppressing that process and perpetuating social inequalities. The work also looks at the issue of basic education, including a critical assessment of public policy in this field. The issue of gender inequality is discussed, and the role of women's agency in the expansion of social opportunities for both women and men is explored. The work concludes by consolidating the argument and discussing the policy implication of the analyses presented. A statistical appendix presents a comparative picture of India and other developing countries, and also the comparative performance of different states within India. This new work by two internationally renowned economists is an important and relevant argument for promoting human welfare.

This book tells us how various global regions are dealing with three major concerns within the field of multicultural education: *the conceptualization and realization of "difference" and "diversity"; *the inclusion and exclusion of social groups within a definition of multicultural education; and *the effects of power on relations between and among groups identified under the multicultural education umbrella. All of the chapter authors pay attention to these themes, but, at the same time, they bring their particular interests and perspectives to the book, addressing issues, such as linguistic, racial, ethnic, and religious diversity; class; educational inequalities; teacher education; conceptualizations of citizenship; and questions of identity construction. In addition, the authors offer both historical and social contexts for their analytical discussion of the ideals and practices of multicultural education in a particular region. This is not a book that tells us about multicultural education with an international "twist"; it provides readers with different ways to think, talk, and do research about issues of "diversity," "difference," and the effects of power as they relate to education.

Thomas Weisskopf compares the 'Affirmative Action' programmes in the US with the 'Reservation Policies' pursued in India. He examines both systems using a clear cost-benefit analysis.

Private higher education is perhaps the most rapidly growing segment of postsecondary education worldwide. In this collection, the authors provide a multifaceted and comparative analysis of private higher education and consider both broad issues and specific case studies. The only book currently available to lend an international focus to this subject, it examines such topics as accreditation, funding, and the impact of the market in the context of Latin American, European, and Asian higher education, and is a unique and invaluable study for researchers and policymakers alike.