Insights from Social Contexts

By Santhakumar V | Apr 11, 2024

Though there was a high rate of deforestation in India in the past, the degradation of remaining natural forest cover has declined. According to official data, there is an increase in areas covered by forests in the country.

By Santhakumar V | Jan 9, 2024

The real problem is the lack of an approach to connect academic subjects with the real-life or occupational contexts of students. The subjects that students study in their UG programme should contribute to their lives and occupations even if they do not pursue higher levels of education.

By Santhakumar V | Dec 28, 2023

A mere increase in the enrolment in higher education may not be the ideal way forward. There is a need for a deeper analysis of factors which encourage youngsters to go to a college/​university.

By Santhakumar V and Mir Afzal Tajik | May 26, 2023

The slow spread of school education for all has affected the economic development in South Asian countries. If we compare the situation in India with that of China, it is clear that the latter could ensure the provision of basic education to the majority of children, which helped the growth of manufacturing industries.

By Santhakumar V | Mar 10, 2023

The restoration of peatlands in Indonesia and elsewhere is important not just for these countries but also globally. The burning of peatlands can add significant amounts of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere and can also lead to other problems, such as haze that affects airline traffic.

What we know – What we need to know

By Santhakumar V | Dec 29, 2022

Discussions on land restoration have so far not focussed adequately on the connection between human development and the restoration of land and ecosystems. There are cases where broad-based development led to an increase in the vegetative cover over those lands which were used for intensive (or degrading) agriculture in the past.

By Santhakumar V and Edina Kovács | Nov 3, 2022

The cases of Roma people and the Dalits show that specific social groups can remain less educated and underdeveloped for generations. An equilibrium of social discrimination combined with economic deprivation can sustain for a long time as evident not only from the study of these two sections of people but also from that of the Black community in the United States.

By Santhakumar V and Edina Kovács | Oct 21, 2022

Historically, there were periods of suppression and exclusion of the Roma people. Even when their children were admitted to schools, they were not fully accepted. Their historical underachievements in education continue to impact the performance of children from these communities, even though government policies have become more enabling for their children.

By Benard Nyatuka, Santhakumar V | Sep 7, 2022

Despite a relatively better economic status as a whole and higher public investments, India seems to be facing challenges in terms of retention and learning in schools somewhat similar to those that Kenya faces. But the reasons for the underperformance in school education seem to be different in the two countries.

By Bohdan Krawchenko | July 12, 2022

The University of Central Asia defines itself as a ​‘development’ university. Its locations reflect this commitment — the campuses are in secondary towns among poor mountain communities where it becomes a significant driver of economic growth. 

By Charity Limboro and Santhakumar V | Jun 16, 2022

A few researchers and a set of parents argue that low-fee private schools provide ​‘quality’ education. Though such schools fail in terms of almost all indicators of quality (basic infrastructure, qualified teachers, availability of learning materials), personal attention may enable some of their students to score better on standardized tests.

By Charity Limboro and Santhakumar V | May 31, 2022

This article looks at low-fee paying private schools in urban Nairobi and is based on short-period fieldwork in a set of such schools and interactions with school directors and teachers as well as other stakeholders, including the association of these alternate schools. 

Santhakumar V speaks with TM Thomas Isaac | May 5, 2022

‘…whether it is Turkey or India or the Philippines, there is a preference, among the middle class or the aspirational middle class, for a strong leader, a strong government which survives and facilitates economic growth, even if there is a certain trade-off in terms of democracy, human rights, etc.’

Santhakumar V speaks with TM Thomas Isaac | 

‘In a democracy, there will be and there should be alternatives before the people. But I don’t agree with the fact that competitive politics demands that the ruling party keeps on changing every five years. It has proven to be detrimental to people’s interests.’

द्वारा: शांताकुमार वी एवं अनंत गंगोला | Mar 9, 2022

सामान्य तौर पर सुकमा और बस्तर क्षेत्र में आदिवासी समुदायों और मुख्यधारा के समाज की भाषा के बीच एक उल्लेखनीय अंतर है। यह आश्चर्य की बात नहीं है क्योंकि मुख्य जनजाति — कोंड — और उनकी भाषा द्रविड़ परिवार का हिस्सा है जो हिंदी से बहुत अलग है। हालांकि, वहां की जनजातीय आबादी को भाषा-उपयुक्त और संदर्भ‑विशिष्ट शिक्षा प्रदान करने के पर्याप्त प्रयास नहीं किए गए हैं।

By Santhakumar V | Nov 17, 2021

Though it is obvious, the possible positive contribution of education towards economic and human development can be seen from the experience of different countries in the South Asian region. 

By Santhakumar V | Oct 29, 2021

Bhutan is one case where a desirable equilibrium or mutually beneficial interlinkages between education and development could be achieved. This is even though modern education started in a major way only about 50 years ago. 

By Santhakumar V | Oct 13, 2021

The traditional community norms in these regions were also strengthened by the versions of Islam which gained dominance there and, over time, strengthened the norms against modern education for girls. Instead of a religious issue, it is more of a cultural issue. It may be more correct to say that the traditional values in these localities may have found certain rigid versions of Islam acceptable over time.

By Santhakumar V | Sept 28, 2021

Bangladesh is an example where the education-development linkage provided a positive feedback loop which strengthened both spaces even though the country is at a relatively lower level in terms of both education and development. This may have implications on poverty, reduction, economic and human development.

By Santhakumar V | Sept 16, 2021

Nepal is the only country where internal factors and forces of globalisation have not helped in substantially increasing the demand for and use of education on the one hand and the better and more opportunities for educated people on the other.

Using technology, teachers may be able to learn innovative practices to teach specific concepts or subjects. The innovation of a few teachers can be disseminated quickly, and others can adopt these easily with the help of technology. Students can access and acquire additional learning materials.

By Amarendra Das | May 4, 2021

The road to economic development requires basic infrastructure, like all-weather roads and physical access to health, education and markets. Therefore, the government should, on priority, connect all small hamlets with all-weather roads and provide easy access to education and health.

By Balakrushna Padhi and Udaya S Mishra | Apr 22, 2024

Odisha is a frontrunner among major Indian states in introducing far-reaching reforms in budgeting and governance over the past decades. The State’s budget for 2021 captures people’s aspiration for a ​‘New Odisha’ by transforming ​‘reactive governance’ to ​‘proactive governance’.

By Santhakumar V | Mar 30, 2021

Education has the potential to enhance equality of opportunity (for higher education) and employment. However, the evidence is mixed. Even in a developed country like the USA, social mobility facilitated through education is mediated through the socio-economic background of the family. This could be more so in India.

By Santhakumar V | Feb 19, 2021

‘Education for all’ can bring important benefits to society even if it is not very successful in terms of the wider set of goals or even if the quality does not meet international standards. This argument is not to weaken the efforts to improve the quality of, or to reach other goals through education but to stress the importance of enhancing the access to and use of education by all without waiting for notable improvements in its quality or comprehensiveness.

By Seema Purushothaman, Rema Devi, Amrita C | Jan 29, 2021

Converting tribal peasant gatherers into wage labour, as mentioned above, is the most visible livelihood change here. The interventions that deployed tribal labour include afforestation and demarcation of forest boundaries, both often curtailing their access to seasonally cultivated areas.

By Seema Purushothaman, Rema Devi and Amrita C | Dec 19, 2019

Three things clearly emerged as instrumental in making Vazhachal a pioneer in FRA implementation in the state, especially in vesting the provisions under CFR:

a) A mission mode of implementation with clear responsibilities;

b) Committed, active and informed NGOs and;

c) Proactive leadership from the community.

By Seema Purushothaman, Rema Devi and Amrita C | Jan 6, 2021

In the early 2000s, Wayanad saw land struggles gathering momentum, demanding rights of tribals to forest lands. Many landless tribals encroached forest lands and raised hutments. As per an agreement to put an end to the struggle, a decision to vest land to tribals was taken. But its implementation was tardy.

By Santhakumar V, Muralee Thummarukudy and Devashree Pillai | Sep 16, 2020

There is a need for a set of actions to achieve an environmentally sustainable and welfare-enhancing future for the people of Kerala. These require the use of technological solutions; institutional changes; public investments to make the future environmentally benign, and; enabling policies at the state level.

By Sunil Mani, S M Mohanakumar, Santhakumar V and T Abhilash | Aug 28, 2020

This article assesses the effectiveness of the institutions (laws), programmes, and organisations to conserve agrobiodiversity in the Indian state of Kerala, which is one of the most biodiverse states in the country. 

By José Bittencourt da SILVA, Cledinei Oliveira da SILVA, Márcio Fernando Duarte PINHEIRO, Raimundo Nonato Leite de OLIVEIRA, Roberta da Trindade | July 23, 2020

The residents of Boa Vista do Acará community (Belém, Pará, Brazil) have diversified forms of work and within the model of simple production and reproduction, that is, they work, produce, seal and buy goods and services with a focus on their own family consumption, not using surpluses to accumulate wealth and acquisition of more income.

By Santhakumar V, Nimrat KD Khandpur, and Shraddha Jain | Dec  7, 2018

Ability-based grouping and differential curriculum are the most contested aspects of the education reforms pursued by the Aam Aadmi Party in the state of Delhi. An assessment of education reforms in Delhi under AAP.

By Santhakumar V and Anant Gangola | Nov 19, 2018

The schooling of tribal children in conflict zones is riddled with severe challenges. We study the work of a relatively small and new NGO, Shiksharth, which is trying to support the public education system. In light of this, we present the situation, the challenges and some possible solutions.

By Santhakumar V | Sep 18, 2018

The campaign was first carried out in the Ernakulam District, Kerala and was a joint effort by the district administration and the Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad (KSSP). M P Parameswaran, who played a key role in it, in a freewheeling chat with Santhakumar V.

By Santhakumar V and Vargheese Kochattu |  May 29, 2019

Are there other factors which work against improving the quality of learning? The insights from the experience of Kerala may be useful for other states which are currently grappling with first-generation problems, like the retention of students in schools.