How can private schools in India work towards providing inclusive education to disadvantaged and marginalized children?

Overview
This project aims to investigate how inclusion is practised and experienced in private school settings within the Indian context. Private schools in the Global South have experienced rapid growth in recent years, and in India in particular it is estimated that approximately a third of 6 - 10-year-old children attend fee-charging private schools, rising to a half in urban areas (Kingdon, 2020 in Day-Ashley et al, 2020). This has led to a dual public and private education system (Srivastava and Walford, 2006 in Day-Ashley et al, 2020).

Alongside this development, in 2009 the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE Act) was passed, thereby enshrining the right of all children aged 6-14 years to free and compulsory education, whether public or private (Day-Ashley et al, 2020). However, little is yet known about how disadvantaged and marginalised children access, experience and learn in private schools in India. In response, international NGO Save the Children developed a Global Policy Position on User Fees in Education and Private Schools (2016), which sets out criteria for analysing different models of education in terms of issues such as equity, quality and learning, and impact on the education system (ibid, 2020).

Research Questions
This project seeks to investigate how private schools attempt to include disadvantaged children under the RTE Act by exploring the following research questions:
- How are private schools in India supported in providing inclusive education at state, national and global levels?
- How do private schools attempt to include disadvantaged and marginalized children?
- What are children's everyday experiences of inclusion within private schools?
- What are the key limitations and barriers to providing inclusive education in private schools?
- What support is needed to enable private schools to provide fuller and more effective inclusive education?
- How can key actors in private schools 'work towards' providing more inclusive education under current conditions?

Methodology
The research will comprise three phases:

Phase 1: A review of key themes in the literature to identify and evaluate 'elements' supporting inclusive education at global, national and state levels e.g. legal frameworks, models, policies, guidance, accountability mechanisms, curricula, learning materials and training opportunities.

Phase 2: Research examining inclusion practices in several private schools participating in the RTE Act in a single Indian state across different locations (rural, periurban and urban) and fee-levels (low, mid and high). A combination of methods including participant observation, qualitative interviews, focus group discussions and analysis of school documents.

Phase 3: Participatory action research techniques will be used to check emerging analyses from case study research with key participants through workshops and provide space for participants to draw on principles of inclusion to draft, co-create, develop and expand on school inclusion policies.

Anticipated Outcomes
Along with the PhD thesis, the project will also support Save the Children's policy and advocacy work regarding inclusive education initiatives in India, while providing the potential for developing new policies related to the impact of various models to support disadvantaged and marginalised children's learning at school. Furthermore, the project has the potential of informing Save the Children's advocacy work in wider, non-Indian contexts, i.e. developing inclusive education policies and initiatives with other governments and partners based in other parts of the world.