University of St. Thomas, Minnesota UST Research Online Education Doctoral Dissertations in Leadership School of Education 8-2016 The olitP icized Indian Woman: India’s Agendas on Women’s Education Sabeena Mathayas University of St. Thomas, Minnesota, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.stthomas.edu/caps_ed_lead_docdiss Part of the Education Commons Recommended Citation Mathayas, Sabeena, "The oP liticized Indian Woman: India’s Agendas on Women’s Education" (2016). Education Doctoral Dissertations in Leadership. 81. https://ir.stthomas.edu/caps_ed_lead_docdiss/81 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the School of Education at UST Research Online. It has been accepted for inclusion in Education Doctoral Dissertations in Leadership by an authorized administrator of UST Research Online. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Politicized Indian Woman: India’s Agendas on Women’s Education A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, LEADERSHIP, AND COUNSELING OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS by Sabeena Mathayas IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF EDUCATION Minneapolis, Minnesota August 2016 UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS The Politicized Indian Woman: India’s Agendas on Women’s Education We certify that we have read this dissertation and approved it as adequate in scope and quality. We have found that it is complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the final examining committee have been made. Dissertation Committee i The word ‘invasion’ worries the nation. The 106-year-old freedom fighter Gopikrishna-babu says, Eh, is the English coming to take India again by invading it, eh? – Now from the entire country, Indian intellectuals not knowing a single Indian language meet in a closed seminar in the capital city and make the following wise decision known. Cultural invasion is much more dangerous than cultural revolution. So India is doing what India must do to hold it back. - From Mahasweta Devi’s 1996 short story, Choli ke pichche (Behind the bodice) ii Contents Acknowledgments........................................................................................................................... v Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Context of the Problem ............................................................................................................... 3 Significance of the Problem ........................................................................................................ 8 Literature Review........................................................................................................................ 9 Structural Compendiums .............................................................................................................. 10 The Political Economy of Education ............................................................................................ 14 Critical Literacy and Citizenship .................................................................................................. 18 Gaps in the Literature.................................................................................................................... 21 Theoretical Approaches ................................................................................................................ 25 Structure of the Dissertation ..................................................................................................... 29 Chapter 1. Weaving Destinies....................................................................................................... 33 Women’s Education Pre-Independence .................................................................................... 34 Women’s Movements and Education ....................................................................................... 44 Gandhi on Education................................................................................................................. 51 Chapter 2. Trysts with Destiny: The Nehru Administration (1947 – 1964) ................................. 58 Maulana Abul Kalam Azad ...................................................................................................... 58 Ministers and Ministry – Education for…? .............................................................................. 76 The Five Year Plans on Education and Women under Nehru .................................................. 80 Chapter 3. Indira Gandhi and the Indian National Congress (1966 – 1984) ................................ 88 National Policy on Education 1968 and After .......................................................................... 93 Towards Equality: Committee on the Status of Women in India ............................................. 97 Rule by Decree ........................................................................................................................ 109 iii Indira Gandhi and the Five Year Plans ................................................................................... 113 Chapter 4. The National Policy on Education: Approaching the Millennium (1984-2000) ....... 117 Ministerial Musical Chairs ...................................................................................................... 126 National Policy on Education 1986 and Plan of Action 1992 ................................................ 128 Five Year Plans from 1984-2000 ............................................................................................ 134 Chapter 5. Right to Education (2000-2010) ................................................................................ 139 Saffronisation of Textbooks .................................................................................................... 141 Dr. Manmohan Singh and UPA-I: A Congress Resurgence ................................................... 146 Gender in Curriculum ............................................................................................................. 153 Right to Education (2009) and the Five Year Plans ............................................................... 161 Chapter 5. Velleity and its Discontents....................................................................................... 167 Gender as Context ................................................................................................................... 169 Gender as Identity ................................................................................................................... 173 Gender as Agency ................................................................................................................... 179 Afterword .................................................................................................................................... 187 Bibliography ............................................................................................................................... 191 Appendix: Research Method...................................................................................................... 200 Research Paradigms ................................................................................................................ 200 Feminist Methods........................................................................................................................ 200 Public Policy ............................................................................................................................... 203 Research Design – Historical method and Document analysis .............................................. 206 Data Analysis – Rationale and Procedure ............................................................................... 210 Scope for Further Research ..................................................................................................... 215 iv Acknowledgments Omnia mutantus, nos et mutamur in illis. All things change, and we change with them. The story of my education, or any enduring commitment to education, is of transformation. However, in my moments of hubris, I believe that mine is closer to metamorphosis. I didn’t merely transfer one form into another; nor leap from form to form. I experienced an insidious relentless descaling, shedding skins and scabs to reveal a raw purposeful core. I am humbled and privileged that this did not happen in isolation or alienation. First, I would like to thank my advisor and committee chair Professor Kathleen M. Boyle for her ruthless kindness as I struggled with my academic voice and identity. She continually challenged my foundations while ensuring I retained my intellectual independence and curiosity; bringing meaning and purpose to my paper shields and cardboard swords. This dissertation was doomed a vast lost enterprise without her scholarship and friendship. I extend my endless gratitude to my committee members. Professor Sarah J. Noonan; master scholar, and exemplar professor, who saw my potential long before I did and encouraged my doctoral career; and Professor Patricia A. Jensen for her astounding work in public policy, and unique interpersonal style of leadership and pedagogy. In addition, I would like to thank the vast network at the University of St. Thomas who supported my work materially and personally: the members of