Today, it is almost expected that all reputed schools will be “inclusive”. It is important to clarify at the outset that being inclusive and having a mixed or diverse student population are two different things. The term “inclusive” has a strong element of intentionality, whereas having a diverse student cohort may just be incidental.
However, there are school leaders who look for homogeneity as they feel that a heterogeneous student population is likely to throw up all kinds of complications and challenges, which would definitely get in the way of a smooth teaching-learning process. Generally, teachers are used to dealing with mixed-ability classes and are trained in differentiated teaching, though some schools have a policy of grouping students into sections of each class according to their ability levels. I feel that this system may make teaching easier but it certainly introduces an element of undesirable superiority and inferiority complexes among the students and deprives them of learning lessons of life from students with different backgrounds and experiences.
In many coveted schools that are known for their academic excellence — not necessarily limited to commendable public examination results — there may be diverse students, that is, hailing from different communities, regions or even countries, yet socio-economically they may be quite homogeneous. These schools ensure that only those candidates who are likely to perform well in academics are admitted, hence their classes do not pose the challenges that mixed-ability groups usually do. Other schools follow a policy where they admit a percentage of students who come from under-resourced and under privileged communities. In such cases, a different set of challenges has to be faced.
Some parents prefer to send their children to schools where they will interact with other children of the same kind. They feel secure that they don’t have to worry about the polish and culture of the families of their children’s friends, the language they would use and the kind of homes they would visit. Befriending children from a different socio-economic stratum altogether would generate all kinds of complications and complexities. Further, even if they open their own homes to such children, they wouldn’t have the confidence to allow their children to visit theirs. Probably, the children from “poor” families would also hesitate to invite their affluent friends to their humble homes or even meet their uneducated, unsophisticated and vernacular-speaking parents.
Why is it, then, that some of us strongly feel that a truly mixed student population is desirable in any school for a rich and complete education to be imparted? If a student has to be prepared for the real world, which is one of the purposes of a school education, society outside the school walls must be reflected within, as far as possible. Children will not be able to face life beyond school if they are kept cocooned in an artificial setting. School should give them opportunities to interact with different kinds of children with varied family backgrounds. Not only will they be the richer for it, but they will develop the skills needed to deal with different kinds of people in their adult lives.
If a school has a policy of admitting students from different socio-economic strata, it indirectly strengthens the character of every student, irrespective of background. Those from wealthy homes learn to be compassionate and also to appreciate those who perform well without the facilities and advantages that they themselves are fortunate to have. The children of middle-class parents learn to be proud of their identity and accept that there would always be people who were better off than them and others who were worse. In some schools there are some “free students”, who are from low-income homes. I have seen them grow in resilience as well as self-confidence.
In a conducive environment, children learn how to deal with each other’s sensitivities. I remember the time when I was discussing “inclusion” and “exclusion” with middle-schoolers, a student mentioned that it can happen even in an “expensive” school that a group of girls talking about their foreign holidays or the latest fashion trends make a few individuals feel “excluded” as they could not participate in such conversations. Similarly, those who come to school in chauffeur-driven limousines are unable to relate to the daily commute by public transport that many of their classmates are accustomed to. Reactions can be varied — ranging from envy and admiration to pity and condescension.
No doubt there are many complex issues that can arise in a diverse school community. However, the dividends are so rich that the challenges pale into insignificance. India is a country with multiple cultures and though there is a strong drive to make everything standard and uniform, I fervently hope and pray that we will always support plurality. We would be sadly impoverished if we cultivated a single language, a single religion and a common diet. I remember how fascinated we were with the introductory chapter in our Indian history textbooks — it invariably dealt with the concept of “unity in diversity”.
If India is micro-reflected in our school population in terms of the variety of culture, language and socio-economic background, we would be empowered to pave the path toward a closely-knit society comprising a rich fabric of peoples living in genuine harmony. Imagine, how colourless, dull and impoverished society – and consequently life — would be if we were able to interact only with people of “our kind”.
Nature made sure of a magnificent world full of different kinds of terrain, flora, fauna and yes, the human species, all within a remarkably balanced eco-system. We must never forget that our greatest lessons are usually learnt from Nature and the Universe.
The writer is a veteran school educator based in Kolkata
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