A panel discussion on the theme “What Works in Girl’s Education: Issues and Challenges” was organized at the India International Center Annex, New Delhi, India on July 13, 2016 by the Centre for Early Childhood Education and Development (CECED), Dr. B. R. Ambedkar University Delhi.
More than 1,000 studies have provided evidence that high-quality girls’ education around the world leads to wide-ranging returns. The said panel discussion was planned to place Girls’ education in India and the issues around it as an agenda for public discourse. The theme of the discussion was especially significant because being at University we have a mandate to strive for equity and social justice with excellence and girl’s education is a critical part of providing inclusive education.
Rebecca Winthrop (Director, Centre for Universal Education, The Brookings Institution) who was an invited panelist for the event shared her ideas from her book, “What Works in Girls’ Education”. Ms. Rina Ray, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Human Resources & Development chaired the panel discussion. Other panelists included Dr. Vimala Ramachandran, Director, ERU Consultants Private Limited, Prof. Venita Kaul, University and Mr. Dayaram, Secretary, Aspire India.
ISSUES ADDRESSED
The discussion began with a presentation by Prof. Rebecca Winthrop on “What Works in Girl’s Education” wherein she presented some strong case examples that supported the fact that investment in Girl’s Education is the best investment because it promotes economic growth, improves wages and jobs, saves lives, leads to healthier and small families, results in healthier and better educated children, decreases HIV/AIDS and malaria and decreases child marriage among others. The presentation by Prof. Winthrop was followed by discussion where Prof. Vimala Ramachandran explained that the larger educational and social climate of the country is favorable to girl’s education. She told, from her experiences that girls in every corner of the country want to go to school, want to remain in school. But, the tragedy follows because the system is not able to respond to the expectations of girls and the learning/non-learning crisis affects girls in a very severe manner.
Prof. Venita Kaul further extended upon the significance of girl’s education—citing that “non-learning” especially affects girls critically because girl’s are likely to be the first casualty from a family to drop out of the school system. Thus, girl’s education needs to be seen in a comprehensive perspective and not just in a continuous perspective. She shared various instances from her experience during District Primary Education Programme (DPEP). Mr. Dayaram brought to our notice that no matter how great a figure we see for accessibility of schools, there are still many habitations in various parts of the country where the schools are not available even within the radius of 7km. He also shared from his field experiences in Odisha that aspirations of many parents and children, especially those belonging to marginalized categories, continue to exist, however, there are no schools available for their children.
Ms. Rina Ray, Chair for the panel discussion and Additional Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy, MHRD reflected on the issues voiced by the experts and made it very clear that there is no such thing called a single blueprint for improving the girls’ education. Nevertheless, she also brought the issues of disadvantages of differently abled girls’, which went almost unattended. However, she suggested that the issue of teaching and teachers’ commitment must be addressed well in time. In addition, she recommended the involvement of Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). She said, “It is necessary to view the issues of boy’s as well. Let’s not make girl’s education something of which only women are in-charge of, or mothers are in-charge of, or girls are in-charge of; the fathers are as responsible, as are the male teachers or the male principals.”
CONCLUSION
The panel discussion was thought provoking in addressing the concerns in girl’s education, not only on the national level but also on the international level. The discussion highlighted that there is a certain level of awareness of the problems and issues that persist in the sphere of education—especially for girls. However, the problem lies in the implementation of the schemes or the solutions that are proposed—we can move ahead only if we keep bringing the issues of girl’s education to the forefront collectively.
The Position Paper on “Early Language and Literacy in India” created in collaboration with CARE India (supported by USAID) was released on 22nd June, 2016 at the India Habitat Centre by Chief Guest, Dr. Subash Chandra Khuntia, Secretary-School Education & Literacy, MHRD, Government of India; Emeritus Prof. A.K. Jalaluddin and Mr. Rajan Bahadur, MD & CEO, CARE India. The position paper was presented by Dr. Sunita Singh, Ambedkar University Delhi and Dr. Shailaja Menon, Azim Premji University. The presentation emphasized that one of the key ideas that sets apart this Position Paper from other documents is the articulation and advocacy of a “principle based approach” as opposed to advocating for one “method” over another. This position paper is envisioned as a document that will enable policy makers and educators (practitioners and academicians) to develop a set of informed actions based upon the principles of language and literacy development in young children.
The presentation was followed by a panel discussion chaired by Emeritus Prof. A.K. Jalaluddin on “Early Language and Literacy: Issues and Challenges”.The document has been created through a consultative and collaborative process with the support of a Technical Core Group. The authors of the Position Paper are Ms. Meenal Sarda, UNICEF India; Dr. Rekha Sharma Sen, IGNOU, Delhi; Dr. Shailaja Menon, Azim Premji University, Bangalore; Dr. Suman Sachdeva, CARE India; Dr. Sunita Singh, Ambedkar University Delhi and Prof. Venita Kaul, CECED, Ambedkar University Delhi.
As the New Delhi Book Fair 2016 came back with more than 1800 stalls, it was celebration time for book lovers and readers.
CECED, Ambedkar University Delhi has rightly taken this opportunity and participated for the second time with some of its recent publications, information booklets about its regular programmes exhibited in the book fair. Student volunteers from Ambedkar University were also present at stall No. 163 in the Hall No. 14 to share about their experience on different regular programs and teaching environment in the Ambedkar University Delhi campus.
CECED has exhibited some of its latest publications and films produced under its in-house banner CECED Films for the avid readers and film lovers at the same stall in the Children’s Pavilion. One of the films titled ‘Exploring School Readiness’ that was selected for screening at the Woodpecker International Film Festival 2015 was also available for distribution in the stall. Visitors had an opportunity to get copies of study reports, executive summaries about one of the longest run longitudinal study called the “Indian Early Childhood Education Impact (IECEI) Study” conducted by CECED. Many other useful resource materials like the Pre-School Kit available in English and Hindi, First Years First Multimedia Series, CECED Policy Briefs were also distributed at the stall for ECE teachers and Anganwadi workers.
”It’s a huge platform for taking our advocacy efforts to the masses and we are participating for the second consecutive time. We are immensely thankful to National Book Trust and the organisers of the New Delhi World Book Fair”, said Prof. Venita Kaul, the Director of CECED, School of Education Studies, Ambedkar University Delhi.
CECED takes pride in sharing the completion of its sixth year anniversary on October 12, 2015. A wonderful journey which began in October 12, 2009 with just four passionate team members and one research project; now CECED is a team of 39 working on more than 11 funded projects with an outreach spread across Rajasthan, Gujarat, Delhi, Telengana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Orrissa, Maharashtra, and many other states of the Indian sub-continent!
The Centre moved from strength to strength, a journey which was made possible only because of the invaluable contribution of each and every one of the team members to the Center and its progress. On this happy note, Team CECED celebrated its sixth anniversary at CECED office on 12 October, 2015. It was an opportunity for the team to cherish and celebrate. A special film was screened reflecting the major milestones crossed by the Center over the years.
Here are some of the moments captured through the lens during the celebration.
Prof. Branislav Pupala delivered a talk on “Preschool education in Slovak Republic: European and post-communist reality” in University on 19th Oct, 2015. The lecture gave insights about Slovak Republic as a nation after the division of Czechoslovakia and dissolution of the communist rule and its impact on the education system in Slovakia. He discussed about the school education system in Slovakia and thereafter gave very insightful information about Preschool education in Slovakia – its history and ECCE institutions, newly developed preschool curriculum and its implementation in the schools across the country, teacher’s training, interactive feedback from the teachers regarding the newly implemented curriculum and difficulties faced by them in teaching children from diverse ethnic backgrounds, issues of multilingualism and inclusion in early childhood classrooms etc. He also gave details about ECCE as an area of study at Trnava university.
Branislav Pupala, PhD.
Professor of early childhood education at Trnava university, Faculty of education, Slovakia. He is also Senior research fellow at Slovak Academy of Sciences in Bratislava where he established the Centre for research in education. At Trnava University, he is the director of undergraduate program in preschool and primary education, director of Master’s program in preschool education and also director of PhD program in education (including preschool education). In 2013, he became head of the team responsible for developing and implementing the new national curriculum for preschool education in Slovakia. He is the honorary Chairman of Slovak Association for Early Childhood International (SACEI) as well.
It was a proud moment for CECED, especially for members of the Communication Team when one of its advocacy films, titled “Exploring School Readiness” was screened at the 3rd Woodpecker International Film Festival & Forum, 2015. The film has been produced in-house under the banner of CECED FILMS.
This film is an attempt to provide multiple perspectives of the term “school readiness”—children’s readiness for school, schools’ readiness for children, and families’ and communities’
readiness for school. It provides early childhood educators and parents an overview of preschool environments and experiences that could help children thrive to their fullest potential in their later years. “Exploring School Readiness” also highlights some good practices at early childhood centres across the country.
Organised at the Siri Fort Auditorium, New Delhi, from 17 to 20 September, 2015, the four-day festival showcased more than 68 films including documentaries, short films and features focusing on 13 contemporary social issues.
The School of Education Studies (SES),Dr. B. R. Ambedkar University Delhi welcomed its second batch of MA Education (Early Childhood Care and Education, 2015-2017) and PG Diploma (2015-2016) students on August 2015. The two-day orientation programme organized on August 3rd and 4th for the new cohort focused on providing an overview of the University, School and the Programmes and School policies and various facilities available to students.
Presentations introduced students to University, SES and the Centre for Early Childhood Education and Development (CECED). Specific University policies on Sexual Harassment and Anti-Ragging were also discussed. Students were encouraged to contribute and participate in forum discussions through CECED’s Web-portal and get connected with the Facebook pages too. The programme specific orientation focused on providing information on assessment policy, attendance requirement, required and elective courses, field attachments, workshops and SES seminars. A part of the orientation day also centered on interactions between students and conversations with the senior batch of students and the faculty. Additionally, library orientation and a campus walk were organized in collaboration with the library and the Centre for Community Knowledge.
A 3 days Workshop on “Academic & Scientific Writing Skills” was organised from 20-22 July 2015 at the International Guest House, Delhi University, for CECED team. The workshop was headed by Prof T. S. Saraswathi. She retired as senior Professor and Chair Department of Human Development and Family Studies, in 2001, from the M.S.University of Baroda. She has several publications in Indian and international journals and is particularly known for her work in the area of cross cultural developmental psychology. The workshop was organised to share ideas on the academic writing methods. Prof. Saraswati also elaborated on the challenges faced while writing an abstract or a research paper and the best practices of academic writing. Towards the end of the workshop all the participating members received a certificate of appreciation for their participation.
Early language and literacy in India has received much attention in the recent decade, especially owing to various achievement surveys—almost unanimously lamenting the learner outcomes. This is in spite of the fact that a plethora of research has put forth some understandings of the issues and challenges in this area which could inform policies, curriculum, pre-service and in-service teacher training education programmes . In view of the above, CECED is planning to launch a short term certificate course on ‘Early Language and Literacy’, to bridge this gap, by training teacher educators, researchers, administrators and school teachers, about the significance and importance of early language and literacy in a child’s life. Before developing and launching the certificate course, CECED organised a one day consultation on May 13th, 2015 at the India International Centre (Annexe Building), Committee Room no.1, Lodhi Road, New Delhi. The purpose of the consultation was look for collaboration, craft strategies, framework and approaches that could be instrumental in the development of CECED’s first ‘Certificate Course on Early Language and Literacy’. Here are few moments of the event captured through the lens.
CECED organized a Campus Photography Contest from 3rd February to 11th February 2015, on the theme ‘Childhood through the LENS: Diverse Settings’. The purpose of the competition was to explore childhood in diverse settings in the age group of birth to 8 years. The Winning participant photographs were displayed at the New Delhi World Book Fair 2015 from 14 Feb 2015 to 22 Feb 2015.
The Winners of the Photography Competition are as follows:
| S.No. | Name | Department/School | Photo Caption | Category | Position |
| 1) | Kartikeya Jain | B.A.(H) Sociology + English, University | Dazed & Confused | Best Photo | 1st |
| 2) | Kartikeya Jain | B.A.(H) Sociology + English, University | In the Middle | Best Photo | 2nd |
| 3) | SudhaDabas | M.A Education 2ndSemester, University | Softness is not weakness. It takes courage to stay delicate in a world this cruel. | Best Photo | 3rd |
| 4) | ShivangiVerma | M.A. Psychology, Final Year, University | It’s their superpower, to be able to create Universes, amongst Crowds, Chaos, Clutter, and Calamities. | Best Photo | 3rd |
| 5) | Meghna Joshi | SHE – MAED, University | So many reasons to smile | Best Photo | 3rd |
| 6) | PoojaKapoor | MA Education, University | Losing Childhood: Replacing Toys with Tools | Best Photo | Runner Up |
| 7) | Aditya Singh Chauhan | MA Environment and Development, University | Pressure of being poor and eldest | Best Photo | Runner Up |
| 8) | MayanglambamOjit Kumar | PhD-Human Ecology, University | Running to stay same | Best Photo | Runner Up |
| 9) | SudhaDabas | M.A Education -2ndSemester, University | There is no great agony than bearing an untold story inside you. | Best Photo | Runner Up |
| 10) | MeenakshiDogra | CECED, University | Walking down the road of opportunities, looking down the side, with eyes full of gleam and aspiration to be, one day, the girl behind the camera. | Best Photo | Runner Up |
| 11) | Devika Sharma | CECED, University | Mother’s Lap: Beginning of Untouched Horizons | Best Caption | 1rd |
| 12) | PoojaKapoor | MA Education, University | Tears are words that heart can’t say | Best Caption | 2rd |
| 13) | IkanshiKhanna | CECED, University | Learning leads to possibilities | Best Caption | 3rd |
| 14) | Ramesh Kashyap | BA SSH (Hons.), University | Dreams In Vision | Best Caption | 3rd |
| 15) | MayanglambamOjit Kumar | PhD-Human Ecology, University | Up above this running world | Best Caption | 3rd |
The Centre for Early Childhood Education and Development (CECED), organized a half day Panel Discussion on “Reservation for EWS in RTE: Socio-emotional challenges and Mitigating Measures” for professionals, practitioners, educators, counsellors, parents and care givers on February 26th, 2015 (Thursday) from 3-5 p.m. at India International Centre (IIC), Annex Building LECTURE ROOM – II, New Delhi.
Professor R. Govinda, Vice Chancellor of National University of Educational Planning and Administration (NUEPA) chaired the session in presence of a remarkable amount of audience.
Here are few moments of the discussion captured through the lens.
Team CECED takes pride in sharing the completion of its fifth year anniversary on October 12. A wonderful journey which began in 2009 with a couple of passionate team members in the family; and now CECED is a family of 22 within five years!!
The Centre moved from strength to strength, a journey which was made possible only because of the invaluable contribution of each and every one of the team members to the Center and its progress. Let us continue to work single-mindedly with the same commitment and dedication and move forward so that some of us who are in CECED in ten years time can look back to the coming five years and say “what an experience”!!!
On this happy note, Team CECED celebrated its fifth anniversary and had a retreat at Aamod resort, Manesar on 4th and 5th November. The retreat was an opportunity for team building activities and also projecting/ planning further 5 years of CECED.
Here are some of the fun moments captured through the lens during the retreat.
Centre for Early Childhood Education and Development (CECED) organized a talk by Dr. Joan Lombardi on ‘Early Childhood 2014: Current Trends and Moving Forward’ on 29 August 2014. Dr. Joan Lombardi is a renowned international expert on child development and social policy having 40 years of significant contributions in the areas of child and family policy as an innovative leader and policy advisor to national and international organizations and foundations. She has talked about some of the developments in the area of early childhood development, and some emerging trends globally. She also discussed on some necessary steps that need to be taken to move forward to reach out to all children.
CECED, Ambedkar University Delhi in collaboration with Forum on Investing in Young Children Globally organized a 2 day public workshop on 26-27 Aug, 2014. The two day interactive international workshop featured presentations and discussions that identify some of the current issues in financing investments across health, education, nutrition, and social protection that aim to improve children’s developmental potential. The goal of this two-day interactive public workshop was to explore issues across three broad domains of financing: costs of programs for young children; sources of funding; and allocation of these investments.
The SES at University launched the Masters Program in Education (Early Childhood Care and Education) on August 4, 2014. The 22 students of the first batch come from diverse fields including Home Science, Psychology, Sociology, Journalism, and so on.
The program has a strong focus on integration of theory and practice. The beginning of the program will be marked with a neighbourhood walk which will familiarize students with the diverse socio-cultural aspects of childhood. This will help them as they step into the classroom.
According to Director, SES, Professor Venita Kaul, “It is a dream come true.”