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Education for all: A reality in India?
Education for all: A reality in India? by Shantha Sinha (Hyderabad Central University, MV Foundation) and Vasanthi Devi (Tamil Nadu State commission for women) on May 22nd, 2004 in MIT Room 6-120 Time: 4 pm About Shantha Sinha and Vasanthi Devi ------------------------------------- Shantha Sinha is the winner of the Ramon Magsaysay Award 2003 for Community Leadership and is the founder of the M Venkatarangaiya Foundation (better known as MV Foundation), which works to free child labourers and enroll them in schools. She is a Professor in the Department of Political Science at the Hyderabad Central University, is a leading anti-child labour activist. She believes that poor children belong in normal schools, not part-time ones. She therefore seeks to improve the public schools where bridge-school students eventually enroll. Working locally in each school district, her foundation mobilizes parents, teachers, and elected officials to insist upon better schools and to support the cost of schoolhouse improvements and extra teachers. She will present a movie titled "Against all odds" and talk about poor parents and their struggle to keep children in schools. Dr.Vasanthi Devi, a former vice chancellor of Gandhigram Rural Institute, and Manonmaniam University, is currently the Chairperson of the TamilNadu State Commission for Women. She is the author of many an article on the need for a Common Schooling Programme or the Neighbourhood School System in India. The Common School System means that every neighbourhood would have a good Government school with all facilities that are offered in a private school. This, Dr.Devi believes, would encourage students from poor and rich classes to study in the same school, as quality education would be offered in schools in their localities. A position paper on the concept of a Common School System was presented by members of the National Alliance for Fundamental Right to Education (NAFRE), India, early last year. Dr.Devi believes that CSS is not a ``utopian plan'' but an aid to create social transformation. In a sound neighbourhood school, rich and poor students would get good education. This would even out differences of class and caste, Vasanthi Devi reasons. Dr.Devi's talk will focus on the challenges that need to be tackled in making CSS a reality. For More Information: --------------------- Anand Sivaraman ansiv@mit.edu Arvind Saraf arvind_s@mit.edu
Date: 05/22/2004
Location: MIT Room 6-120
Time: 4pm
Cost: free
Contact: ansiv@mit.edu
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