Background

The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act of 2009(known as the Right to Education Act or RTE) symbolises India’s commitment towards providing learning for all children.  The RTE’s enactment means a statutory framework is now in place for the first time to ensure all children between the ages of 6 – 14 receive a compulsory education (Maithreyi and Sriprakash, 2018).  This policy has so far been instrumental in increasing school enrolment (Bhattacharjee, 2019) while reaffirming India’s recent drive towards becoming a nation which embraces inclusive education. 

The RTE is also striking for acknowledging the role of the private sector in realising an education for all.  RTE Section 12(1)(c) is an innovative public-private policy instrument which mandates unaided private schools allocate 25% of school places to economically weaker / disadvantaged children (Sarin et al., 2017).  The clause therefore echoes the sentiment of UNESCO’s recent Global Education Monitoring Report, “Non-state actors in education: Who chooses? Who loses?”, which highlights how meeting shared education goals may require close collaboration between state and non-state actors (UNESCO, 2021). 

Yet in spite of the huge growth of the private sector and an increasing number of children accessing school places, whether the Section 12(1)(c) reservation (hereafter, the 25% provision) is universally applied and supportive of disadvantaged children remains in doubt.  Although the provision applies nationally, only 17 out of 36 states are currently admitting children under its remit (Indus Action, 2021) and many elite private schools have resisted admissions or attempted to evade the system by contesting the constitutionality of the clause through the Supreme Court (Sarangapani et al., 2014).

Aims and Research Questions

The present qualitative study aims to evaluate how private schools under RTE Section 12(1)(c) support disadvantaged children with their learning, and the extent this learning can be deemed inclusive.  It seeks to investigate this issue by exploring the views and experiences of different actors connected to private schools, namely pupils, parents, teachers and non-teaching staff.  

Research in this area is needed because there remains a paucity of qualitative studies examining learning under Section 12(1)(c), particularly regarding the concept of inclusive education.  Furthermore, given the absence of evidence regarding children’s experiences of the 25% provision (Lafleur and Srivastava, 2019), it would be interesting to explore this topic through the perspectives of child and adult actors experiencing the policy in their daily lives.  This PhD project therefore assesses whether disadvantaged children under the 25% provision are treated and taught in the same way as their peers, or instead experience forms of discrimination or segregation.  The following main research questions will aid this inquiry:

• What is the current role of India’s RTE 25% provision in enabling inclusive education for disadvantaged children in private schools?

• How is the RTE 25% provision experienced by various actors in private schools (students, parents, teachers and non-teaching school staff)? 

Theoretical frameworks

The project relies on two frameworks to evaluate inclusive education elements under the 25% provision: Bronfenbrenner’s ‘Bioecological systems theory of human development’ (Bronfenbrenner and Morris, 2007) and Save the Children’s ‘Quality Learning Framework’ (QLF) (2022).  Bronfenbrenner’s theory depicts the role of individuals, their activities and interactions across different levels of an ‘ecological system’, namely the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem and chronosystem.  Thus, the framework provides the possibility of mapping, exploring and understanding the connections and interconnections that influence inclusive education (Anderson et al., 2014).  The QLF is distinctive due to its incorporation of widely-accepted elements of inclusion in relation to education for all.  It provides detailed guidance on crucial features of inclusive education, such as access to learning, teaching, community involvement and school leadership issues.

Research Approach and Sample The research will principally be qualitative and will explore first-hand perceptions and experiences of individuals intimately involved with the 25% provision. Furthermore, the study adopts a multiple case study approach for examining learning and inclusion issues in three private schools which adopt the provision. Case study research allows an in-depth exploration of a variety of issues (Bhatta, 2018), and three schools are examined given evidence from multiple cases is considered more robust than simply focusing on one case (Yin, 2018). The schools have been chosen purposefully, and a cross-case comparison of schools with varying fee-structure will enable a more holistic understanding of learning and inclusion issues. Data collection will thus take place in: - one low-fee paying unaided private school - one mid-fee paying unaided private school - one high-fee paying unaided private school Methods Methods typically used in case study research include observations and interviews. Classroom observations of learning practices will be conducted to create the possibility of gaining a rich, comprehensive, contextualised understanding of social action and behaviour (Pole and Morrison, 2003). Furthermore, interviews (both focus group and individual) will be utilised for exploring how individuals experience and view issues pertaining to learning and inclusion. Pupils in this study will be older children aged between 12 – 16 years old; and a combination of diary-keeping and focus group interviews will be used for this target group since these methods are more sensitive to older children’s developmental needs and abilities (Gibson, 2012). In addition, documentary analysis of policies, plans and records from various sources, e.g. government documents and school websites, will also provide valuable evidence for investigating the research topic at the school, community and state/national levels. Overall, a multi-layered examination of concepts, policies, systems, practices and other factors at the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem and macrosystem fits in with the practice of drawing on various sources of information in case study research (Creswell, 2013). Data Analysis Data collection is due to commence in March 2023 and, once evidence is gathered, thematic analysis will be used to identify, organise, analyse and report on themes (Braun and Clarke, 2006). Hence, in connection with the various levels of the ecological system, themes will be drawn inductively to obtain theories and explanations from the data (Patton, 2015); and these will be evaluated against QLF criteria to appraise the role of the 25% provision in facilitating inclusive education.

The project hopes to add to two areas of empirical research. Firstly, to the more extensive literature regarding inclusive education which in India has hitherto focused predominantly on issues around children with disabilities (Singal, 2019), whereas in Europe is recognised as referring to all children more generally (Kefallinou et al., 2020). Secondly, to the more limited literature concerning private school inclusion through RTE Section 12(1)(c). Overall, the study seeks to gain a clearer understanding of the shape and form of learning and inclusion elements in policies and systems at the state and community levels; and how these translate into practices within schools and classrooms. Analysis within and beyond schools (from the micro- to the macrosystem) will hopefully yield a deeper understanding of inclusion issues which may tentatively be used to comment on the private schooling sector both in India and international contexts. Thus, by applying Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological framework and the QLF, the project aims to develop and expand on existing theory and may potentially inform national and international debates regarding learning and inclusion processes In terms of outcomes, this research has the potential for generating new knowledge and approaches to understanding inclusive education issues with respect to multiple forms of disadvantage. Furthermore, it might help improve outcomes for disadvantaged children in the Indian context by raising awareness and understanding of school- and community-wide oppressive and exclusionary practices on the one hand, and beneficial and inclusive ones on the other. The aim of this conference paper is to elaborate on the research design and methods used for investigating the 25% provision and private school learning and inclusion. Moreover, the presentation intends to provide an assessment of the adopted frameworks, outline early emerging themes and findings, and consider the implications of implementing public-private education policy initiatives in support of disadvantaged children.

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