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Commentary

 

Freedom and Peace

National Conferance on Primary Education

An IDPAD (Indo Dutch Programme on Alternatives in Development) Initiative

December 11-13, 2001  India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

The Centre organised a National Conference on Primary Education for the Indo-Dutch Programme on Alternatives in Development (IDPAD) in December 2001. Eminent activists, policy makers, and academics presented, discussed, and debated innovations in government delivery of education, role of new technologies, barriers to the entry of educational institutions, methods of assuring quality of education, and decentralisation of curricula and textbook authorship. All papers and written comments will be published in a volume to serve as a powerful policy guideline in future.

PROGRAMME

 

Inaugural Programme

Welcome:

Mr. Bhaskar Chatterjee, Indian Coordinator, IDPAD, Member Secretary, ICSSR

Inaugural Address:

Mr. K. S. Sarma, Co-Chairman, IDPAD, Chairman, ICSSR

Keynote Address:

Dr. K. Venkatasubramanian, Member, Union Planning Commission

Vote of Thanks:

Dr. Parth J. Shah, President, Centre for Civil Society
 

Innovations in Government Delivery of Primary Education

Chair:

Mr. Anil Bordia, Lok Jumbish

Presenters:

Professor R. Govinda, NIEPA
Ms. Amita Sharma, RGSM, Madhya Pradesh

Discussants:

Mr. Gurcharan Das, Management Consultant
Professor P. V. Indiresan, IIT Delhi

 

Edupreneurs: Private Initiatives in Primary Education

Chair:

Mr. Rohit Dhankar, Digantar, Jaipur

Presenters:

Dr. Madhav Chavan, PRATHAM, Mumbai (Indian initiatives) Professor James Tooley, University of Newcastle, England (international perspective)

Discussants:

Mr.Vivek Ramchandani, Global Education Consultancy Pvt. Ltd
Mr. Dilip Thakore, Editor, Education World

 

Regulatory Barriers: Scarcity of Schools, Teachers, and Governance

Chair:

Professor James Tooley, University of Newcastle, England

Presenters:

Professor Bibek Debroy, Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies
Mr. Amarjeet Sinha, Education Advisor, DFID

Discussant:

Mr. T. K. Mathew, Principal, Deepalaya

 

New Technologies in Primary Education

Chair:

Mr. P. Rajendran, Chief Operating Officer, NIIT

Presenter:

Mr. Vivek Agarwal, eGurucool.com

Discussants:

Professor Marmar Mukhopadhyay, NIEPA
Professor Dinesh Singh, Delhi University

 

Discussion on the 93rd Amendment

 

Mr. Sanjiv Kaura, National Convenor, National Alliance for Fundamental Right To Education
Dr. Parth J. Shah, President, Centre for Civil Society

  Assuring Quality Education

Chair:

Mr. Rajiv Desai, Indian Public Affairs Network (IPAN)

Presenters:

Professor Janaki Rajan, SCERT, Delhi (government efforts)
Mr. Joe Overton, Vice President, Mackinac Centre for Public Policy (private efforts)

Discussant:

Dr. Vandana Sipahimalani Rao, World Bank, Delhi

 

Curricula and Textbooks: Decentralisation and Participation

Chair:

Ms. Amita Sharma

Presenters:

Dr. Anita Rampal, Eklavya, Bhopal

 

Mr. Steven Rudolph, Education Director, Jiva Learning Centre

Discussant:

Mr. Rohit Dhankar, Digantar, Jaipur

 

Summary and Action Plan


Panel on Curricula and textbook: Decentralisation and Participation at the National Conference on Primary Education. From left to right: Steven Rudolph (Education Director, JIVA Institute); Rohit Dhankar (Digantar, Jaipur); Amita Sharma (Mission Director, Rajiv Gandhi Shiksha Mission, Madhay Pradesh); and Anita Rampal (Eklavya Madhay Pradesh).