Education – meaning, definitions, nature, functions and aims; nature of education as a discipline - types of education; formal, informal and non-formal; levels of education - Preprimary, primary, secondary, senior secondary, higher, professional, distance and optional education; Aims and purposes of education drawn from constitutional provision; Education as a means of social justice in the Indian Constitution; Constitutional values and education (Preamble, Fundamental rights and duties); the Right to Free and Compulsory Education 2010 (RTE) and inclusion; Education in the concurrent list and its implications

Social diversity: Meaning and definition - Education for understanding the social diversity in India – Levels of social diversity: Individual, regional, linguistic, religious, castes and tribes - Role of education in creating positive attitude towards diversity - inter disciplinary nature of education philosophy, psychology, sociology, anthropology, politics, history

Universalization of primary education – programmes to achieve universalization of education: SSA, RMSA, RUSA, integrated education and Inclusive education; Challenges in achieving universalization of education; Education for collective living and peaceful living; Four pillars of education as viewed by Delor’s Commission Report.

Language policy during the pre-independent and post-independent India – Language policy as specified in Indian Constitution – Views of great thinkers on medium of Instruction: Tagore, Gandhi, Vivekananda.

Equality of Educational Opportunity; equality in constitutional provisions; Inequality in schooling, Causes for inequality, discrimination, and marginalization in education – Types of inequity: caste, gender, class, regions – Elimination of social inequalities through education – education for marginalized groups: Dalits, tribals and women.