Education for Understanding the Social Diversity in India
Back to: Contemporary India and Education-Unit 1
Diversity means a combination of different social backgrounds, races, cultures, ethnicity, gender, religion, and different languages. Diversity is seen in the classroom too. Diversity in the classroom may even be related to the varying intellectual abilities and social skills of the students. Having diversity in the classroom helps students understand each other’s culture, language, ethnicity, religion, etc. Through diversity, a new perspective will be brought into the classroom.
India is a diverse nation where people belonging to different religions, cultures, social backgrounds, and the like reside. It is a secular nation. By fostering education for understanding diversity and different cultures of India in the classroom:
Understanding of Different Cultures
Students will have an understanding of their classmate’s culture. They will learn about each other’s cultural background and have compassion for it.
Promotes Equality
Students will not feel left out or as being treated unequally. They will feel a sense of belongingness in the classroom and school.
Understanding of Diversity
It helps in giving students a deeper understanding of diversity. This will help the students in broadening their knowledge about cultural differences.
Observance of Holidays
Students will understand the holiday traditions of each culture and why it is celebrated. They will be encouraged to celebrate the different cultures represented in the classroom.
Fosters Comfort
Students will feel more comfortable and safe inside as well as outside the classroom.
Fosters Confidence
Students will feel more confident in themselves as well as while interacting with their peers.
Develops Mutual Respect
Students will grow up to be open-minded, treat everyone equally, and have empathy for others irrespective of race, religion, culture, etc.
Ways to Improve Quality Education
Here are some ways in which teachers and schools can incorporate inclusion in education.
Get to know your students
Cultural awareness can be brought in the classroom only when the teacher understands each student. Every student is unique and the teacher should try to understand each student’s cultural background. This will help students learn about each other’s culture and have compassion for it.
Respect every student
The teacher should treat all the students equally. There should be no prejudice inside the classroom. A kid may feel that because of his/her cultural background, the teacher treats him/her differently from others. Looking at the teacher, many students may follow the same behavior with the kid. Hence, a teacher also must treat every student equally without any discrimination.
Give assignments related to cultural diversity
Assignments related to their cultural background should be given to the students to present in the classroom. Students will do proper research on it and share their cultural knowledge with their classmates. This way every student will have an understanding of their classmates’ culture. The students themselves will also have a better understanding of their own culture.
Examine your teaching materials
As a teacher, try to expand your cultural knowledge and share the information acquired with your students. This is a very effective way of making students understand the importance of cultural diversity. It helps in giving students a deeper understanding of diversity. This will not only be helpful for the students but the teacher too in broadening the knowledge of cultural differences.
Observe the holidays of every culture
Celebrate the holidays of every culture so that students feel a sense of belonging in the classroom and school. This way the students will understand the holiday traditions of each culture and why it is celebrated. Encourage all students to celebrate the different cultures represented in the classroom.
Diversity in the classroom will help students learn from each other as well as help the students in their personal development. For a teacher to teach effectively and for students to work as a team, understanding each other in every aspect is essential. This will lead to healthy relationships among the classmates and a good atmosphere in the classroom.
