Education In South Asia Research Articles

Are Knowledge Management Courses in South Asia Designed Well? A Content Analysis of Syllabi and a Case Study

Abstract: Knowledge management (KM) is a set of processes to improve organizational functioning by harnessing organizational knowledge. KM has been taught in different global universities—either as standalone courses or as programs of study. While KM is also taught in a number of library and information science (LIS) programs in South Asian (SA) universities, it is not clear which schools offer KM courses, what topics are covered, which readings are assigned, and how student learning is assessed in these courses. How does KM education in a developing SA country compare with KM education in a developed country? What are the enablers and barriers to KM course design and delivery in South Asia? We explored the answers to these questions through a content analysis of syllabi of KM courses in SA LIS programs as well as a case study comparing the way KM is taught in an SA country and in the United States. Through applying theories of expectancy, information poverty, Bloom’s taxonomy, and context, the study recommends a model KM syllabus template and a research framework for KM education in South Asia. The study concludes that for SA KM education to reach global standards, systemic barriers would need to be addressed.

Retracted: Status of Bioinformatics Education in South Asia: Past and Present.

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.1155/2021/5568262.].

Intergenerational Mobility in South Asia

This article analyses the movement of intergenerational mobility (IGM) in South Asia from birth cohorts comprising 1950–1980 using the World Bank’s data on IGM. The article compares the IGM movements across countries to account for the causal factors of the IGM. Exploratory data analysis and Bayesian regression have been used in this study for empirical analysis. We note that in the past three decades, the share of primary parental education in South Asia constitutes 79% of the total, while the children who achieved the highest level of education constitute only 10%. Children in Sri Lanka have been enrolled in school for the greatest number of years, but the absolute IGM in India is greater than Sri Lanka. Bhutan lags in average years of educational attainment, yet their relative mobility surpasses every country in South Asia. The likelihood that Pakistani children’s status shall be independent of their parental status is as low as 20%. Despite variation in parental education, absolute IGM in India is highest in South Asia. Variation in parental education reduces the degree of independence in the next generation. Relative measure of mobility is a better indicator of social mobility than the absolute measure. JEL Codes: I21, I24, I28, J24, J62, N35

Gender and leadership in public higher education in South Asia: examining the individual, socio-cultural and organizational barriers to female inclusion

ABSTRACT The study examines the personal, social, and organizational barriers facing women in university leadership positions in South Asia, building on the cases of Malaysia and Bangladesh. We discussed the topic through the lens of interactionist feminist theory. Semi-structured interviews with 20 female deans from 12 public universities in Malaysia and Bangladesh were conducted, followed by two focus group discussions with eight female deans. The results reveal that personal barriers such as family duties, lack of technological knowledge, interest in taking leadership positions, spousal support and poor time management, and lack of spousal support represented the major barriers for female deans in Bangladesh. Lack of interest in deanship was found to compound the underrepresentation of women in dean roles. The participants identified fewer socio-cultural barriers faced by Malaysian female deans, while Bangladeshi participants met major issues. The organizational barriers for female deans in public universities were reported. The findings hold significant organizational and policy implications.

Policies and practices of climate change education in South Asia: towards a support framework for an impactful climate change adaptation

South Asia is one of the most vulnerable regions to the impacts of climate change. While it has contributed the least to global greenhouse gas emissions, the people in the region face imminent threats to their health and well-being due to extreme weather events and a range of other climate-induced challenges, such as biodiversity loss and monsoon floods. Climate change education (CCE), if properly implemented, can prove to be vital in addressing such challenges and in helping people make informed decisions on adaptation strategies. To this end, this paper explores how CCE is addressed in the climate policies of South Asian countries. The paper also explores the implementation and operationalization of these policies within the respective countries. A content analysis of the climate policies of member states was conducted for the period 2007–2021. The findings revealed that climate change education has been highlighted within individual policies pertaining to formal and informal education, research and development, and public awareness initiatives. However, a gap analysis between policies and practices reveals that significant work is still needed for the effective implementation of policies supporting CCE at local levels. The current study seeks to contextualize these gaps by situating them within the relevant theoretical backdrops. In doing so, the research aims to make a meaningful contribution to the understanding of how CCE can be effectively deployed and delivered towards an impactful climate change adaptation, building on a support framework.Graphical

Current Situation and Countermeasures of Higher Education Development in South Asian Countries

In this paper, the level of higher education development is a concrete manifestation of a country's scientific and technological level. As one of the four major civilizations in the world and the birthplace of Buddhism, South Asia has lagged behind in the development of higher education due to long-term poverty, dense population and other factors. Now, in the context of the 21st century, South Asia's economic and social development has entered a fast lane. It is of great significance for the development of higher education in South Asia to cope with challenges, solve the current difficulties in the development of higher education, strengthen cooperation with the world, improve the quality of higher education, and cultivate more high-quality talents. Therefore, we should strengthen international cooperation with foreign countries, make full use of international assistance, adjust the investment structure of human resources internally, strengthen the development of distributed education and multilingual education, and promote the development of higher education in Nepal in a multi-pronged way.

Training Female Bodies for New India: Women’s Physical Education between Global Trends and Local Politics in Colonial South Asia, c. 1900–1939

This paper explores the emergence of modern female physical education in late colonial India in the period between the beginning of the twentieth century and the late 1930s. Focusing mostly on physical training schemes directed at middle-class, upper-caste Hindu girls and women, the study provides detail about the role played by a variety of Indian and non-Indian historical actors that were committed to the spread of female physical fitness. It demonstrates that, despite different ideological tendencies, political agendas and methods, the extent to which these actors shared beliefs and assumptions about the fit female body is striking. The paper also makes it clear that it is necessary to move away from national or imperial lenses that have hitherto occluded the global interconnections and border-crossing trajectories at play when analyzing discourses and practices of female physical education in South Asia in the period under purview.

The political economy of education in South Asia: fighting poverty, inequality, and exclusion, by John Richards, Manzoor Ahmed, and Shahidul Islam. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2022. Pages: 230 (paperback). ISBN: 978-1-4875-2255-1

The political economy of education in South Asia: fighting poverty, inequality, and exclusion, by John Richards, Manzoor Ahmed, and Shahidul Islam. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2022. Pages: 230 (paperback). ISBN: 978-1-4875-2255-1

An overview of public health education in South Asia: Challenges and opportunities.

Over the past two decades, there has been an increased demand for Public Health Education (PHE) in South Asia. While this region has a large number of Public Health (PH) institutions, the quality of PHE has not been aligned with the core PH competencies. In this article, we present an overview of Master of Public Health (MPH) programs across South Asian countries. An extensive systematic search on various web search engines regarding PH course offerings was conducted, including specific institute and educational websites. By 2021, more than 180 institutions in South Asia provided an MPH degree. Most of these institutions/universities were found in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, and a few among these institutions were established as independent Schools of Public Health (SPH), separate from medical colleges, and had a multidisciplinary faculty. But, dedicated training facilities in the specialized field of public health were not found in most of these institutions. Generally, a well-defined MPH curriculum is not currently available except in India where the University Grants Commission (UGC) guideline for a model MPH curriculum has been proposed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The entry criteria for an MPH degree in India is accepting students in multidisciplinary fields, while in other South Asian countries this is primarily restricted to medical/paramedical students with a basic understanding of preventive medicine. The aim of this review was to document the current and future PHE opportunities and challenges in South Asia.

Perspectives on Teacher Education in South Asia: A Comparative Review

With the political shifts in twentieth century, South Asia has witnessed rapid socio-cultural and educational transformation. At this backdrop, the study aims to review the efforts made by South Asian countries for quality enhancement of teacher education recently. This thematic review of policy documents, reports, and articles representing eight countries revealed that though South Asia is rich with socio-cultural, economic, and topographical diversity, there are some convergence and divergence in terms of investment and environment offered to teacher education. For instance, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Bhutan have provided better opportunities for teacher education and pre-service and in-service training and development, while teachers in Pakistan and Afghanistan have not made substantive progress. Except Pakistan and Afghanistan, all other countries have strict criteria for enrollment in teacher education programs, teacher recruitment, and licensing. These countries also provide motivating environment with the provisions of training and development, and awards and recognition. Whereas Pakistan and Afghanistan are facing two-fold challenges: nominal investment in teacher development and reconstructing the infrastructure damaged in decade-long armed struggle. The article concludes with the recommendation to increase investment in teacher education as developed and motivated teachers contribute to the overall transformation of education sector in South Asia.

Impact of Terrorism, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Energy Consumption on the Economic Performance: A Case of South Asian Economies

Foreign investment and finance are considered key to economic growth for many economies. In terrorism, these economies directly lose international capital. As a result, it causes an adverse impact on economic development in the countries. Human capital and natural capital factors will be fruitful when the environment is conducive and peaceful. Similarly, energy consumption and FDI would stimulate economic growth, subject to the absence of law-and order issues. This manuscript investigated the impact of terrorism, energy consumption and FDI on economic growth in South Asia over the period from 2002 to 2020. The model’s results display that terrorism and FDI have a negative impact on economic growth in South Asia. The result of energy consumption exhibits a positive and significant influence on economic growth in South Asia. Further, the results indicate that domestic investment and education in South Asia positively impact economic growth. Consequently, it is suggested that the South Asia countries should take appropriate actions to eradicate the problem of terrorism, ensure the availability of energy, and improve the labour force’s skills to achieve desirable economic growth.

Status of Bioinformatics Education in South Asia: Past and Present.

Bioinformatics education has been a hot topic in South Asia, and the interest in this education peaks with the start of the 21st century. The governments of South Asian countries had a systematic effort for bioinformatics. They developed the infrastructures to provide maximum facility to the scientific community to gain maximum output in this field. This article renders bioinformatics, measures, and its importance of implementation in South Asia with proper ways of improving bioinformatics education flaws. It also addresses the problems faced in South Asia and proposes some recommendations regarding bioinformatics education. The information regarding bioinformatics education and institutes was collected from different existing research papers, databases, and surveys. The information was then confirmed by visiting each institution's website, while problems and solutions displayed in the article are mostly in line with South Asian bioinformatics conferences and institutions' objectives. Among South Asian countries, India and Pakistan have developed infrastructure and education regarding bioinformatics rapidly as compared to other countries, whereas Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal are still in a progressing phase in this field. To advance in a different sector, the bioinformatics industry has to be revolutionized, and it will contribute to strengthening the pharmaceutical, agricultural, and molecular sectors in South Asia. To advance in bioinformatics, universities' infrastructure needs to be on a par with the current international standards, which will produce well-trained professionals with skills in multiple fields like biotechnology, mathematics, statistics, and computer science. The bioinformatics industry has revolutionized and strengthened the pharmaceutical, agricultural, and molecular sectors in South Asia, and it will serve as the standard of education increases in the South Asian countries. A framework for developing a centralized database is suggested after the literature review to collect and store the information on the current status of South Asian bioinformatics education. This will be named as the South Asian Bioinformatics Education Database (SABE). This will provide comprehensive information regarding the bioinformatics in South Asian countries by the country name, the experts of this field, and the university name to explore the top-ranked outputs relevant to queries.

Maternal education and equity in breastfeeding: trends and patterns in 81 low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2019

BackgroundIn low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), low levels of formal maternal educational are positively associated with breastfeeding whereas the reverse is true among women with higher levels of formal education. As such, breastfeeding has helped to reduce health equity gaps between rich and poor children. Our paper examines trends in breastfeeding and formula consumption by maternal educational in LMICs over nearly two decades.MethodsWe used 319 nationally representative surveys from 81 countries. We used WHO definitions for breastfeeding indicators and categorized maternal education into three categories: none, primary, and secondary or higher. We grouped countries according to the World Bank income groups and UNICEF regions classifications. The trend analyses were performed through multilevel linear regression to obtain average absolute annual changes in percentage points.ResultsSignificant increases in prevalence were observed for early initiation and exclusive breastfeeding across all education categories, but more prominently in women with no formal education for early breastfeeding and in higher level educated women for exclusive breastfeeding. Small decreases in prevalence were seen mostly for women with no formal education for continued breastfeeding at 1 and 2 years. Among formula indicators, only formula consumption between 6 and 23 months decreased significantly over the period for women with primary education. Analysis by world regions demonstrated that gains in early and exclusive breastfeeding were almost universally distributed among education categories, except in the Middle East and North Africa where they decreased throughout education categories. Continued breastfeeding at 1 and 2 years increased in South Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Eastern Europe and Central Asia for primary or higher education categories. Declines occurred for the group of no formal education in South Asia and nearly all education categories in the Middle East and North Africa with a decline steeper for continued breastfeeding at 2 years. With a few exceptions, the use of formula is higher among children of women at the highest education level in all regions.ConclusionsOver the course of our study, women with no formal education have worsening breastfeeding indicators compared to women with primary and secondary or higher education.

The Impact of Education in South Asia

Education is produced within power relationships; therefore, power and social dynamics are central to any analysis of the impact of education. The acquisition and benefits of education are similarly intertwined by class, family, gender and social tensions, relentlessly mutating into different varieties, environments and appearances, and endlessly involving control. This is the essence of The Impact of Education in South Asia. Drawing from case studies, ethnographic research, and interviews from different parts of India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, the authors attempt to provide perspective to the relationship between education and society. Formal education challenges society by changing gender roles, household organization, family, and the caste system. Individuals negotiate and transform culture and the educational system.

Os perigos do conceito de impacto no ensino superior (The dangers of the concept of impact in higher education)

Os perigos do conceito de impacto no ensino superior (The dangers of the concept of impact in higher education)

Review of Education in South Asia and the Indian Ocean Islands

Review of Education in South Asia and the Indian Ocean Islands

Overload Stress Perceptions of Public Sector Employees in Pakistan: a Study of Gender, Age, and Education in South Asia

Stress impacts all employees in the private and public sectors. This study was conducted with public sector organizations to measure the stress perception of employees due to task overload. Data were collected from 595 employees and their overload stress perception was assessed using demographic variables. The results confirm that employees of a collectivist culture experience a moderate level of stress, and there is no difference in the stress perception of male and female employees. However, older employees and those possessing more qualification experience a slightly higher level of stress. Implications and recommendations for effective stress management are provided.

The Dynamics of Islamic Ideology with Regard to Gender and Women’s Education in South Asia

The article presents an investigation on certain anthropological-social aspects and the social organization of women with a focus on female education and women’s rights in Islam in South Asia, and especially in the subcontinent. It starts with the Moghul period and then turns to the colonial era and contemporary developments. Through the movement for independence from colonial rule of Britain, the Muslim identity in the South Asian region rose in a state of transformation, reform and development. This occurred due to several factors that encouraged the regeneration and reviewing of Indian society in response to the condemnation, discrimination and chauvinism of their colonial rulers and their deep-seated legacy. Women of the society, who were censured to be subjugated by the native men as entitled by colonial rulers, empowered this transformation by taking direct and indirect participation in it even though patriarchal norms and mind-sets have been a durable feature of South Asian society, cutting across faith communities and social strata, including the Hindu, Buddhist and other non-Islamic traditions on the subcontinent. While religious arguments are generally used in efforts to preserve the asymmetrical status of men and women in economic, political, and social arenas, this investigation attempts to show that religious traditions in South Asia are not monolithic in their perceptions of gender and women’s education. The structure of gender roles in these traditions is a consequence of various historical practices and ideological influences. Today, there is a substantial variability within and between religious communities concerning the social status of women. At different times and in different milieus, religious points of view have been deployed to validate male authority over women and, in opposition, to call for more impartial gender relations.

Who benefits from public spending on higher education in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa?

Most countries are far from achieving the new sustainable development target of equal access to higher education by 2030, with those in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa furthest behind. This raises questions about the allocation of public resources across the education system to promote equity. We use data from Demographic and Health Surveys and UNESCO Institute for Statistics in 31 countries in these regions to assess who benefits from public spending on education. Our results reveal an overall pattern of pro-rich education spending, increasing with education level. We find that this pattern can be traced to an allocation of resources to higher education that is disproportionate to the sub-sector’s size: even when higher education spending overall represents a small proportion of total educational expenditure, per-capita expenditure is extremely high. Given that the richest predominantly gain access to higher education, the current spending patterns are likely to reinforce wealth-driven education inequalities.

Is equal access to higher education in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa achievable by 2030?

Higher education is back in the spotlight, with post-2015 sustainable development goals emphasising equality of access. In this paper, we highlight the long distance still to travel to achieve the goal of equal access to higher education for all, with a focus on poorer countries which tend to have lower levels of enrolment in higher education. Analysing Demographic and Health Survey data from 35 low- and middle-income countries in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, we show wide wealth inequalities in particular, with few if any of the poorest gaining access to higher education in some countries. We further identify that wealth and gender inequalities interact and tend to be wider in countries where levels of higher education are higher. This implies that expansion in access to higher education may predominantly benefit the rich, unless measures are taken to tackle inequalities. We find that that the rates of increase necessary for the attainment of the equal access goal by 2030 are particularly high. They pose a particularly difficult challenge given the access inequalities present from primary and secondary education in a wide majority of countries in our analysis. We therefore suggest that any measures aimed at attaining the goal need to tackle inequalities in access within a system-wide approach, focusing on the level of education at which inequalities initially manifest, alongside higher education.