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political science and sociology textbooks at the high school level attempt to use case studies that raise controversies, have different points of view and show collective action that has been successful in some measure. Many schools across the country, some whose experiences have been shared in this volume, (Shishu Van (Bombay), Namma Shaale (Bangalore), Poornodaya (Bangalore), Vikramshila (Kolkata), Shiksha Mitra (Kolkata), Center for Learning (Hyderabad and Bangalore), Aadharshila (Sendhwa) and many more, who take the initiative to develop their own curriculum and materials, discuss such issues in the classroom as part of the curriculum and also take their classes to participate in forums that raise issues like Bt Brinjal, climate change or the effect of the Commonwealth games on the common man. Eklavya’s social science Textbooks can also be looked at as resource materials for developing a social science curriculum for critical and refl ective democracy. Neither the new NCERT books’ approach nor the approach of the schools or educational groups mentioned above is partisan in any way. They are political inasmuch as democracy is a political ideal which is the basis of our nation’s constitution. As citizens of the country, are we not charged with the responsibility to implement the constitution and to that extent democracy? Why then are the abovementioned initiatives looked at as partisan while those that are actually unethical to democratic principles, as legitimate and mainstream? Challenges to Social Science Education for Critical Citizenship The contradiction in perceptions lies in the fact that societies do not change in as formal and straightforward ways as polities do on paper. The fact is that socially and culturally India is in large part deeply hierarchical, feudal (not economically but culturally) and caste based. Each human Section A Education for Democracy – The Relevance of Social Science Education in Schools The teacher, the parent, the community leader would prefer a social science education that pays obeisance to authority rather than being robustly critical of it, and would leave controversy outside children’s minds. being has multiple identities – those of the family, religion, social group, nation, profession. Hence, though formally India became a democracy more than 60 years ago, it still remains functionally and culturally - a fairly caste based, feudal society. Institutional processes that could strengthen democracy, particularly the education system, have in fact buckled under this cultural weight. The teacher, the parent, the community leader would prefer a social science education that pays obeisance to authority rather than being robustly critical of it, and would leave controversy outside children’s minds. Hence these fi gures who are required to be democratic in their behavior and inculcate and encourage such values and attributes in children, actually actively undermine attempts to develop and encourage democratic behaviour. On the contrary, if a minority of teachers brings in critical and refl ective thinking into the classroom, other teachers, parents and community members instead of encouraging and supporting her become critical of her and marginalize her. Hence, a social science teacher is often afraid to have a representative system of children for school decision making in a caste based, village classroom lest a girl or boy from the deprived classes be ‘elected’ and the whole thing becomes controversial. Classrooms in elite schools that do have progressive methodologies become homogenized elite classrooms rather than socially diverse, mixed ones. Because of the class/caste homogeneity of such classrooms the same kind of activity tends to be less controversial as it does not challenge the status quo in the same way. This leads to the possibility of different kinds of social science education in different kinds of schools, this differentiation itself becomes unethical to the principle of equality – a basis of democratic society. Conclusion The point I am trying to make is that it is only through the widespread implementation of a democratized social science curriculum and pedagogy in schools on a large scale that a democratic society can be sustained and qualitatively developed. No other subject can fulfi ll this role. This is the primary relevance of critical and refl ective social science learning and teaching. The kind of social science I have tried to elaborate upon in the article above, requires building support systems for its practice through resources, peer groups alongside academic, intellectual and social support Pg No: 26
to its practitioners. The readers of this journal will I’m sure take a step in that direction. Such social science education will not only develop the attributes of critical and refl ective democratic citizens, but also inculcate the ability to work in a team in any career and the ability to make critically informed (and therefore to my Section A Education for Democracy – The Relevance of Social Science Education in Schools mind better) choices in a continuously changing world. Other kinds of social science teaching (giving information, knowing about etc. etc.) do not, to my mind, have much relevance for school education and therefore children can be spared that burden. Anjali Noronha has a Masters degree in economics from Delhi School of Economics and has been working in Eklavya since 1982. She has been involved in the development of the social science education program and the primary school education program including language and mathematics. She has been a part of the development group of NCERT Social and Political Life classes 6 & 7 and written many papers on social science education and innovations in school education systems. Her current work includes development of a bilingual language and reading program, development and teaching of courses in the M.A. education program at TISS, school development and work in public education programs and policy and development of teacher education courses with the NCTE. She may be contacted at anjali_noronha99@yahoo.com Pg No: 27
Page 2 and 3: Editorial Team Aanchal Chomal, Gaut
Page 4 and 5: CONTENTS Issue XV : August 2010 Soc
Page 6 and 7: S E C T I O N A The Broad Picture
Page 8 and 9: snares and pitfalls of any examinat
Page 10 and 11: 02 Section A Contested Terrain of S
Page 12 and 13: The views stated in NCFSE, 2000 wer
Page 14 and 15: “given stock of knowledge availab
Page 16 and 17: that the framework used to create i
Page 18 and 19: 03 Section A The ‘Defi cient’ S
Page 20 and 21: into the mainstream in the context
Page 22 and 23: social science are also changing. T
Page 24 and 25: kind (education being one of them)
Page 28 and 29: 05 Section A Vexing Questions in So
Page 30 and 31: the common language used to referen
Page 32 and 33: scientifi c. Natural science has a
Page 34 and 35: evolve around what the child alread
Page 36 and 37: 06 Section A Social Sciences and th
Page 38 and 39: main focus should be on contemporar
Page 40 and 41: 07 Section B Learning Social Scienc
Page 42 and 43: During this period I had the privil
Page 44 and 45: hunter-gatherers did not know how t
Page 46 and 47: see everything as transitional, as
Page 48 and 49: 09 Section B Building Tomorrow’s
Page 50 and 51: understanding of rights that emphas
Page 52 and 53: 10 Section B Facing history and Our
Page 54 and 55: asserting, for example, that the Ho
Page 56 and 57: 11 Section B Maps and Politics M. H
Page 58 and 59: Maps as Creations of Politics Polit
Page 60 and 61: 12 Section B Geography in Daily Lif
Page 62 and 63: a times we discussed and debated on
Page 64 and 65: 13 Section B Oh! Panchayat: Loose L
Page 66 and 67: Lesson 3 Accidental Crossing of Bra
Page 68 and 69: 14 Section B Geography Education fo
Page 70 and 71: Re-imagining geography Education in
Page 72 and 73: 15 Section B Issues in History Educ
Page 74 and 75: initially believe that history is j
Page 76 and 77:
In tune with the overall emphasis o
Page 78 and 79:
at this end. Linking Textbooks, Tea
Page 80 and 81:
17 Section C Review of new NCERT So
Page 82 and 83:
in places and the monotony broken b
Page 84 and 85:
were an attentive lot, eager to sha
Page 86 and 87:
19 Section C Vignettes - The Journe
Page 88 and 89:
I followed more or less the same me
Page 90 and 91:
20 Section C Does Neutral = Controv
Page 92 and 93:
also argue against the teacher pres
Page 94 and 95:
S E C T I O N D The Role of Assessm
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4. 5. 6. Understand the role indivi
Page 98 and 99:
compare different periods and place
Page 100 and 101:
Our experiences with open-book exam
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Answer 4 Answer 5 Section D Assessm
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Equally important is the need to ma
Page 106 and 107:
22 Section D Beyond Retention: Mean
Page 108 and 109:
What was the contemporary political
Page 110 and 111:
• What crops do you predict might
Page 112 and 113:
also. So what is the objective of a
Page 114 and 115:
24 Section D Exams: The Need to Res
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in. However in the process cognitiv
Page 118 and 119:
25 Section D Role of Projects, Fiel
Page 120 and 121:
which may be worth raising: Questio
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26 Section E The Importance of Bein
Page 124 and 125:
which produce professionals who cer
Page 126 and 127:
sides to any story. For example, th
Page 128 and 129:
28 Section E Why the Social Science
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Alas! These were unrealised dreams:
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seeing another part of the world an
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30 Section E How History has Shaped
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31 Section E The Social Sciences—
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32 Section F Beyond Dates and Fight
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is not boring and does not tire one
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D. Some Useful Books • Samajik Ad
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• • • • • • Section F T
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