Contemporary India and Education (English)

Author: Dr. Sanjeev Sharma

This book is designed for the B.Ed Core Course: Contemporary India and Education (CIE), a compulsory subject in the 1st Semester of most B.Ed programs across India. Many universities list this paper under similar names such as Education in Contemporary India, Education and Society, or Contemporary Indian Education, all of which follow the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) syllabus structure.

The book provides a comprehensive understanding of how India’s socio-economic, cultural, political, and constitutional framework shapes the education system. It explains the role of education in national development and highlights how factors like caste, class, gender, language, religion, and region influence access to education and learning outcomes. These themes directly correspond to the official B.Ed CIE course units taught across universities like HPU, DU, MDU, IGNOU, PU, and other teacher-training institutions.

Key topics covered include the Indian Constitution and its educational provisions, fundamental rights and duties, RTE Act, National Education Policy (NEP), educational commissions, globalization, privatization, inclusive education, and current challenges faced by the Indian school system. The book also addresses how social change, technological advancement, and modernization influence the roles and responsibilities of teachers in today’s India.

Because the course aims to link education with societal realities, this book is heavily used in the following B.Ed papers:

• Contemporary India and Education (CIE) – 1st Semester Core Paper

• Education in Contemporary India – Foundation Paper in many universities

• School, Society & Education components

• Papers focusing on Educational Policies, Reforms, and Social Issues

Overall, this English edition is ideal for students who prefer a clear and structured explanation of India’s educational context, making it a valuable and widely recommended text for the Contemporary India and Education course in B.Ed programs.