Ashoka Reflections_SEPTEMBER 2023
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ASHOKA
REFLECTIONS
A S H O K A U N I V E R S I T Y ' S M O N T H L Y N E W S L E T T E R
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 3
Big News
Experts Deliberate on Disability
Inclusion in Higher Education
at Conclave Organised by
Ashoka University
Ashoka Reflections | Page 01
Ashoka University hosted a conclave titled, ‘The Future of Disability Inclusion in Higher Education’, with a
vision to make higher education more inclusive in India and create an environment that empowers
differently-abled students. The conclave was organised by the Office of Learning Support (OLS) at the
university, witnessing the participation of stakeholders from the Central Government and non-
governmental organisations.
Furthermore, it witnessed the participation of representatives from various higher education institutions,
including IIT Delhi, IIT Madras, IIT Kharagpur, IIIT Banglore, IGNOU, O.P. Jindal Global University, St. Xavier’s
College, Ambedkar University, BITS Pilani, Thapar University, Azim Premji University, Plaksha University,
Krea University, SRM University and Bennett University.
Delivering the keynote address, Vineet Singhal, Director of the Department of Empowerment of Persons
with Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, stated that despite a policy of
reservation in higher education, we still lag far behind in making the environment all-inclusive for differently
abled students. He remarked that access to both physical and digital infrastructure and inadequate
curriculum delivery methods continue to be the biggest barriers. Talking about the conclave, he stated that
such deliberations by stakeholders are necessary as they offer valuable insights to the government.
Echoing the sentiment, Dr Manju Singh, former Joint Secretary, New Education Policy (NEP) 2020, University
Grants Commission (UGC), stated that the journey towards inclusion has just begun. Talking about the NEP,
she stated that it is a clarion call to break down barriers, in relation to physical abilities, neurodiversity,
gender identities, as well as other social hierarchies. She emphasised upon the implementation of new
accessibility guidelines and standards developed by UGC such as providing specialised tools and need-
based assessments to enhance educational support for differently abled students. She further called for
greater collaboration among stakeholders, to address challenges such as financial constraints, inaccessible
course content, or inadequate teacher training programmes.
The Office of Learning Support at Ashoka University is developing a white paper on improving inclusivity in
higher education in India. The conclave focused on building synergy and gathering insights from
representatives and experts, facilitating the development of the paper. The university aims to submit these
synthesised suggestions to the government in the future.
Talking about Ashoka University’s vision towards inclusion, Somak Raychaudhury, Vice Chancellor, Ashoka
University, said, “We firmly believe that differently-abled students should never be prevented from attaining
a world-class education. This conclave is part of many dialogues that we plan to take forward, creating
pathways for the exchange of best practises, experiences, and research among institutions, enabling us to
collectively improve.” He further remarked, “At Ashoka University, we lay equal emphasis on addressing
invisible forms of different abilities, such as chronic illnesses or neuro-divergence. It is crucial that we build
capacities across campuses in the country to both identify and address such invisible forms.”
The Conclave is part of a series of dialogues that the
university is planning to take forward, aiming to submit a
white paper to the government in the near future with
suggestions on improving inclusivity on campuses
Ashoka Reflections | Page 02
Ashoka Reflections | Page 03
Talking about Ashoka University’s vision towards inclusion, Somak Raychaudhury, Vice Chancellor, Ashoka
University, said, “We firmly believe that differently-abled students should never be prevented from attaining
a world-class education. This conclave is part of many dialogues that we plan to take forward, creating
pathways for the exchange of best practises, experiences, and research among institutions, enabling us to
collectively improve.” He further remarked, “At Ashoka University, we lay equal emphasis on addressing
invisible forms of different abilities, such as chronic illnesses or neuro-divergence. It is crucial that we build
capacities across campuses in the country to both identify and address such invisible forms.”
Talking about the progress made by the university, Reena Gupta, Director, the Office of Learning Support,
Ashoka University, mentioned that they started with a vision for the inclusion of students with invisible
disabilities back in 2015 and today they support students with all kinds of visible and invisible disabilities. At
least 3% of the entire student body on campus comprises differently-abled students today. She further
stated that the university has robust systems that enable mobility, accommodations, learning aids, and
support during their study years at Ashoka. Also, over the years, the culture on campus has evolved to a
level where the entire student community now plans to integrate accessibility features into all their events.
Going forward, they want to build multi-stakeholder partnerships to make disability inclusion a norm in
higher education in India.
The conclave also featured a workshop titled, ‘Unpacking the Vision of Inclusive Higher Education through
the Lens of Disability,’ moderated by Neha Trivedi, Founder, Spandan: Inclusion and Accessibility
Consultancy Services. The participants deliberated in focused sub-groups to generate solutions for a wide
range of challenges, such as addressing social stigmas and closing gaps in research, support services, or
recruitment processes. It resulted in consensus on the adoption of several measures, such as the
establishment of experience-sharing platforms among and within institutions or the inclusion of individuals
with different abilities in decision-making roles.
Ashoka Reflections | Page 04
In Focus
C E N T R E F O R
E C O N O M I C D A T A
A N D A N A L Y S I S
In Focus
Centre for Economic Data
and Analysis (CEDA):
Facilitating Informed Debate
About Economic and Social
Developments in India
Ashoka Reflections | Page 06
Ashwini Deshpande
Head of the Department, Economics and
Professor of Economics | Ashoka University
“Data is the new oil”. I am sure you have heard this a lot. What does this actually mean? The word “data” is an
oft-used but somewhat amorphous word, which has several different meanings and functions. Data is
information. Data is a commodity. Data is power.
Consolidate data: CEDA aims to be a one-stop window for usable data that connects various datasets and
indicators of the socioeconomic reality of India.
Communicate with data: Disseminate this data to our target audiences: researchers, journalists, civil
society, policymakers and interested lay observers.
Upskill on data: train students, industry, academia, and policymakers in careful and rigorous data analysis.
Data in the modern world is of two types. One is information circulating as “data” or “facts”. We are
surrounded by this, and it is hard to separate the wheat from the chaff. Two, usable, reliable data that clarifies
and informs. For us, the creators of CEDA, the challenge was to identify reliable data and make it usable as
well as informative.
CEDA’s goal or mission statement is to demystify data. We believe that engaging with India’s socio-economic
data should not feel like looking into a crystal ball. Therefore, CEDA has three core objectives:
1.
2.
3.
The first objective meant that we needed to create a data portal that goes beyond creating a repository of raw
data. We needed to create a database of usable summary statistics: means, and percentages that went
beyond national averages. We decided to create an interactive data portal that connects summary statistics
on key indicators across geography (national, state and district levels), time, and demographic characteristics.
The second objective meant that a) users should be able to visualise the data, as pictures speak more strongly
than numbers or words; and b) we needed explainers that focus on the key highlights from a given set of
numbers. That’s how our trademark features were born: Data Narratives, Picture This, Researchers’ Corner;
CEDA-CMIE bulletins etc.
Our First Year
Following background discussions in the Economics department, by the time we actually started recruiting a
small team, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The world as we knew it got upturned. We started with a tiny team on
a shoestring budget that negotiated the complexities of online and remote work amid all the pandemic-
induced insecurities and anxieties.
It was not easy. But you would not be able to tell by looking at Chart 1 which sums up our first year.
Ashoka Reflections | Page 07
Chart 1
Charts 2 and 3 seem pretty unbelievable as I look back on the trials and tribulations of our journey.
Ashoka Reflections | Page 08
There were many occasions when we would pause and reflect, filled with self-doubt. Are we really
contributing to the pool of knowledge, to demystifying data? Are our pieces enhancing a reasoned, rational,
objective, non-partisan discussion of issues?
Apparently yes! Chart 3 lists media highlights from the first year. The latest data shows that our readership
has expanded significantly.
Chart 2
Chart 3
Ashoka Reflections | Page 09
This issue of Ashoka Reflections has pieces by faculty colleagues, Kanika Mahajan and S.K. Ritadhi, our new
Director Abhay Gupta, our editor, Akshi Chawla (the creator of the fabulous Women and Work newsletter,
which you should immediately sign up for in case you have not done that already) and Tanish Bafna, who
worked with us during his ASP year as a student intern. These pieces go into specific details of our ongoing
work. Read their pieces, engage with our work, and spread the good word. I am grateful to everyone who has
believed in us and supported us over the last three years. I look forward to more active engagement from the
readers of Ashoka Reflections.
The CEDA Data Portal
Chart 4 summarises the first two years of the data portal. This is work-in-progress and as the other articles by
the CEDA team highlight, the data portal has gone beyond this summary.
Chart 4
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