Multicultural Education in India: A Critical Analysis of National Policies of Education Using James Bank’s Framework

Abstract

Diversity is a unique feature of Indian society that is reflected in classrooms. This diversity among the student population necessitates multicultural education. The purpose of a school is not only to prepare individuals for various roles in society but also to help them understand and appreciate people from different sociocultural and economic backgrounds. The kind of experiences children receive in schools is shaped by the education policies and regulations laid down by the state. This paper tries to examine major Indian national education policies— namely, National Policy on Education, 1968; the National Policy on Education, 1986 and the National Education Policy, 2020—from a multicultural or culturally responsive perspective. It analyses these policies using James Banks’ multicultural education framework. Based on the policy analysis, the paper highlights that NEP 2020 encompasses almost all five dimensions of Banks’ framework. However, the previous policies lacked focus on its application aspect.