Journal of Education and Research

1-5

Authors: Mahesh Nath Parajuli

N/A

24 - 3 8

Authors: Sadruddin Bahadur Qutoshi; Tikaram Poudel

Assuming the effectiveness of the student-centered approach to teaching, this study explores the perceptions of purposefully selected seven students and teachers from a community school in Karachi about this pedagogical approach. Using interviews and observations of classroom practices as methodological tools, we concentrate on finding answers to the questions: How does student-centered approach to teaching used in community schools in Pakistan contribute to achieving quality education? How does this approach affect teaching and learning activities? How does this approach facilitate teachers to overcome the problems of teaching and learning? The findings of this study identify that student-centered approach to teaching encourages students‟ engagement in teaching-learning activities focusing on individual interaction to achieve common objectives. However, inadequate resources, small sized classrooms, and lack of expertise on the part of teachers were the challenges to the teaching-learning activities in the community schools. These findings would be valuable to teaching and learning communities and educational policymakers as well.

58-76

Authors: Ellen Carm

UNESCO (2005) launched the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, 2005-2014, and as we now proceed into the final year of that decade there is a time for asking whose development? That question heavily relies upon what type of education, which again leads to aspects concerning epistemological lenses. I am using my experiences and research from two totally different assignments; an evaluation of a post-literacy and skills program in rural Laos, and the other aimed at developing and implementing a localized approach to HIV/AIDS education in Zambia. The outcomes from the two interventions revealed that in order to initiate and sustain change and development, it was crucial to ensure the inclusion and merger of multiple knowledge systems, science and traditional knowledge. That requires a focus on how. In other words, the processes we put in place to ensure the recognition and merger of different epistemologies are crucial to ensure sustained local development. The paper briefly discusses key concepts related to multiple knowledge systems, education for sustainable development, and different conceptualization of learning and teaching methods, and explores how environmental education can contribute to sustainable development. The last section illustrates how expansive learning can be applied as a method and a tool to analyze the processes at stake, and outcomes of participatory and inclusive interventions. The paper elaborates on the methodology and shows how a multi-voiced approach can bridge the gap between different epistemologies, e.g. Indigenous Knowledge and Western Knowledge, create space for interaction and negotiations among a diverse group of stakeholders and actors to reach to the local innovations and development activities.

93-108

Authors: Manju Narula

In India, the National Minority Commission has identified Muslims as minorities along with Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Jains on the basis of religion. Out of these religious minorities, Muslims are the largest ones. In spite of being the largest minority, they are lagging behind in education in comparison with other religious minorities. Literacy which is the first step to education is lowest of the Muslim minority and inter-state variation in their literacy rates is also very high. Also, their literacy rate in some of the states is abysmally low. In the light of these contexts, this paper presents a brief discussion of policies and programs implemented for the development of education of the Muslim minority. Thereafter, the paper tries to portray the progress of school education in terms of access, participation, retention of Muslim children in the Muslim concentrated states. The paper suggests that strategies for their educational development should be adopted according to the need of the state/district/area. Finally, the areas of intervention and challenges are discussed and appropriate measures are suggested to improve and promote the education of Muslims in India.