International Journal of Social Science Research (IJSSR)

Multicultural Inclusion in the Indian Education System: Policy Promises and Ground Realities

The education policies played a crucial role in a child’s overall development and prepared them for the future world. India being a multicultural country, the post-independence education policies are framed in such a way that they value and respect each culture, tradition, and language. This review paper critically examines the role of education policies and recommendations ranging from the Radhakrishnan Commission (1948-49) to the National Education Policy (2020) in creating a fair and just environment so that each child feels secure and valued in the classroom. Though the recommendations and policies have extensively emphasized democratic citizenship and linguistic diversity along with the inclusion of marginalized groups such as girls, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and children with special needs, we identified the gap between the policies’ vision and their ground realities with reference to the UDISE data. The NEP (2020) showed a transformational shift in the educational field by integrating culturally responsive teaching and aligning the principles with the sustainable development goal (SDG4). Thus, this paper underscores the need for the commitment to have sustained implementation, continuous monitoring, and stakeholder participation for realizing multicultural and equitable classrooms.