Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University

Bhavan’s Leelavati Munshi College of Education

Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi

(Recognized by NCTE and affiliated to GGSIPU)

BACHELOR OF EDUCATION

2018-2019

Semester-II

Course Title-Historical and sociological Foundation of Education

Course Code- BED 104

Topic-Marginalization

Submitted To: Submitted By:

Dr. Indu Dhaiya Ravneet Matharoo

Ms. Bhageshwari Sharma (05955602118)

WHAT IS MARGINALIZATION?
Marginalization is the process of pushing a particular group or groups of people to the edge of
society by not allowing them an active voice, identity, or place in it. Through both direct and
indirect processes, marginalized groups may be relegated to a secondary position or made to feel
as if they are less important than those who hold more power or privilege in society. Individuals
and groups can be marginalized on the basis of multiple aspects of their identity, including but
not limited to: race, gender or g ender identity, ability, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status,
sexuality, age, and/or religion. Some individuals identify with multiple marginalized groups, and
may experience further marginalization as a result of their intersecting identities.
Marginalization connects with all the components of social inequality such as age, ethnicity,
gender, caste, power and class. The social inequalities are formed on the basis of above
divisions.

SOCAL CLASS, CAST, GENDER AND RELIGION

A social class is a set of subjectively defined concepts in the social sciences centered on models
of social stratification in which people are grouped into a set of hierarchical social
categories,[1] the most common being the upper, middle and lowerclasses. In common parlance,
the term "social class" is usually synonymous with "socio-economic class", defined as "people
having the same social, economic, cultural, political or educational status", e.g., "the working
class"; "an emerging professional class".

Caste is a form of social stratification characterized by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a

lifestyle which often includes an occupation, status in a hierarchy, customary social interaction,
and exclusion.The caste system is a strict hierarchical social system based on underlying notions
of purity and pollution. Brahmins are on the top of the hierarchy and Shudras or lower caste
constitutes the bottom of the hierarchy. The marginalization of lower caste influences all spheres
of their life, violating basic human rights such as civil, political, social, economic and cultural
rights. A major proportion of the lower castes are still dependent on others for their livelihood.
Lower caste does not refer to a caste, but suggests a group who are in a state of oppression,
social disability and who are helpless and poor. Structural discrimination against these groups
takes place in the form of physical, psychological, emotional and cultural abuse which receives
legitimacy from the social structure and the social system.
Gender is the most profound example of stratification. Under different economic conditions, and
under the influence of specific historical, cultural, legal and religious factors, marginalization is
one of the manifestations of gender inequality. In other words, women may be excluded from
certain jobs and occupations, incorporated into certain others, and marginalized in others. In
general they are always marginalized relative to men, in every country and culture.
Religion: India while declaring itself a secular country , it has occurrence in political and public
life. The revisit of religion in public area has been associated to the inability of the states meet
the desires of marginalized communities.

ROLE OF EDUCATION IN PROMOTING MARGINALIZATION ON THE

BASS OF CLASS, CAST, GENDER AND RELIGION
It is widely acknowledged that education has an important role to achieve a greater degree of
social justice. The educational institutions are expected to equip children to the best of their
ability for securing a meaningful place in society and thus fostering a process of developing an
egalitarian society. However, a large number of children are still excluded from the educational
system and hence cannot participate meaningfully in the economic, social, political and cultural
life of their communities. Discrimination can occur in admission and enrolment, discipline,
assignments, financial aid, and other areas on the basis of caste, religion and gender.
 Discrimination happens in different ways. At the institute level, it could be a teacher failing a
student because of personal bias against their rural background. Or it could be teachers and
students making casteist comments against students. They’ll say things like, “You are low
caste. You are not supposed to be here (in school/college). You should be doing something
else”.
 Teachers are more likely to have a better attitude to parents of middle class than working
class, and this may be putting the parents off visiting the school and paying attention to their
child's education. Many schools have a system where classes are divided into different ability
groups. Moreover, a large number of the children describe having to accompany their parents
to work and work with them, or labour on their own in dangerous jobs such as sanitation and
disposal of animals. In addition, many of the children report that teachers or community
members require them to clean toilets.
 A hidden curriculum may further add to discrimination in the educational system. The
concept of the hidden curriculum refers to the idea that teachers interact with and teach each
of their students in a way that reinforces relations of gender, as well as race and social class.
For example, teachers may give more attention to boys, thus encouraging them to speak up in
class and become more social. Conversely, girls may become quieter and learn that they
should be passive and defer to their male classmates.
 Another way the educational system discriminates towards females is through course-taking,
especially in high school, which leads to different educational and occupational paths
between males and females. For example, females tend to take fewer advanced mathematical
and scientific courses, thus leading them to be ill-equipped to pursue these careers in higher
education. This can further be seen in technology and computer courses.
 Integral to the process of socialization is the learning of ones caste identity – children learn
who they are, whom they should interact with and other social practices that are informed by
hierarchical caste relations. From early childhood a boy/girl is identified as the son/daughter
of his/her parent who again is known largely by his caste name and epithets for it. School
practices institutionalize and reinforce these identities at the very time of admission as the
common practice is to add the sub caste to a child’s name. Teachers, majority of whom are
 from non Dalit castes, carry to schools the beliefs and practices that they follow in their
villages where interaction with ‘lower castes’ is based on the identity of the group to which
they belong rather that the attributes of individuals.

ROLE OF EDUCATION IN CHALLENGING MARGINALIZATION WITH

RESPECT TO CLASS, CASTE, GENDER AND RELIGION

In developing countries like India, civil societies have assumed much significant role for the
social development of the marginalized people. The marginalized community looks upon the
civil society with expectation as state's development initiatives have failed to percolate to the
bottom strata of the society. In the contemporary development scenario, the concept of
empowerment of the marginalized has got a special focus and civil society initiatives have been
given special emphasis. As the role of civil society has acquired a role for the social
development, it has developed relationship with marginalized community.
Even in schools, authorities have tried their best to provide equal education to each and every
student.
Inclusive education strives to address the learning needs of children with special needs, with a
particular focus on those who are subject to being isolated and excluded. The philosophy behind
inclusive education is to promote opportunities for all children to participate, learn and have
equal treatment, irrespective of their mental or physical abilities. While the awareness on
inclusive education in schools throughout the country is still at an infancy stage, educational
institutions are somewhat skeptical about having both normal and special children studying in
the same classroom. And in circumstances, where a former excluded child is given admission
into a mainstream classroom, the outcome of the action is questionable.
Some provisions and schemes for education of the marginalized groups which were
recommended by committees and commissions are as follows:
1. Eklavya model residential schools( EMRS): Thy provide quality middle and high level
education and to ST students in remote areas, to enable them to avail of reservation in
high end professional courses and have access to best opportunities in education at par
with non ST population.
2. Hostel facilities, educational loans , mid day meals, reservations and scholarships
3. Residential schools for teachers from ST community.
4. Sensitisation program for non ST teachers.
5. Financial assistance to NGOs providing vocational training where 90% expenditure is
reimbursed by government.
6. Scheme under National backward classes finance and development corporation to
upgrade entrepreneurial and technological skills of OBC.
7. Reimbursement of fees for SC/ST students
8. National backward classes finance and development corporation under ministry of Social
justice and empowerment, educational loan for those living below double poverty line.
9. Shilp Sampadad Scheme for upgrading technical and entrepreneurial skills give loans to
artisans
 10. 3600 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas are residential schools for upper primary girls
from SC,ST , OBC communities are set up where schools are far from habitation.

INTERVIEW OF STUDENT
I talked to a student studying in a government school near my house. He belonged to lower caste,
wherein his father is a rickshaw puller and his mother is a servant in households nearby. There he
shared his feelings about the way his teachers and peers treat him on the basis of his caste.

Attitude and role of teacher

The boy said that he never felt that teachers tried to insult him but sometimes he really feels that
teachers also treat a student according to the profession of his parents. If student’s parents are
doing good job then there are more chances that teacher may treat or set up thinking that she has
to put efforts on that student. If the parents of a student are illiterate and work somewhere as
servants or as karamchaaris in municipal corporations doing low key work then the no. of efforts
or willingness decreases.

Attitude and role of peer

Since, the boy was a son of a rickshaw puller so most of the students of his class teases him.
Nobody in his class likes the profession of his father. Attitude of classmates towards the student
was very negative. There was no sense of belongingness or togetherness among the students.

School environment
The environment of the school was secular. There was no discrimination among students on the
basis of gender, caste and religion but sometimes unwillingly teachers behave in a particular way
that leads to discrimination. Students embrace their environment when they believe that the adults in
the school care about their learning and about them as individuals. Students are more likely to succeed
when they feel a connection to school.
CONCLUSION
Marginalization in education is an insidious problem that causes very few people to stand up and
take notice. The victims of this bias have been trained through years of schooling to be silent and
passive, and are therefore unwilling to stand up and make noise about the unfair treatment they
are receiving. Sometimes, teachers are generally unaware of their own biased teaching behaviors
because they are simply teaching how they were taught and the subtle caste, religion, gender
inequities found in teaching materials are often overlooked. Girls and boys today are receiving
separate and unequal educations due to the gender socialization that takes place in our schools
and due to the sexist hidden curriculum students are faced with every day. Unless teachers are
made aware of the biased messages they are unintentionally imparting to students every day, and
until teachers are provided with the methods and resources necessary to eliminate caste, religion
and gender-bias in their classrooms, victims will continue to receive an inequitable education.
Until educational sexism is eradicated, more than half our children will be short changed and
their gifts lost to society.