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Facilitated and chaired by: Dr Nidhi Sadana Sabharwal who is the co-convenor of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Network. For more details about the network and its activities, please click here.

Overview

This session will examine the critical yet often overlooked role of faculty members (FMs) in rural-serving state universities and government colleges in advancing equity and social justice within Indian HE. Despite significant expansion of the HE sector in India, first-generation learners from rural and semi-urban communities continue to face substantial barriers to access, primarily due to limited knowledge about HE opportunities, processes, and pathways. The Indian National Education Policy acknowledges these challenges and emphasises the potential of local institutions to address them. Drawing on ongoing international research work, the session will explore how FMs in these institutions can serve as knowledge bridges between HE systems and communities with limited HE exposure. The session will analyse faculty engagement practices and policy frameworks that enable or constrain outreach efforts. The presenters will include faculty members from HE institutions located in various provinces across India who are involved in relevant research. The insights will offer valuable perspectives on the challenges and opportunities in implementing equity-focused outreach initiatives within specific national and regional contexts.

Schedule

Speaker bios

Nidhi Sabharwal is a National Fellow, National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration, New Delhi, India, and Honorary Associate Professor at the University of Warwick, UK.  She has also served as the Director at the Indian Institute of Dalit Studies, New Delhi. She is a recipient of the SRHE Accolade for Contribution to the Field of Higher Education Research from The Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE). Her research focuses on access and equity in HE, including college readiness, diversity, social inclusion and academic success of students from disadvantaged groups. She has extensive experience leading multi-state and multi- institutional mixed-methods studies on equity. Her recent projects include a national study on student diversity and social inclusion and an evaluation of publicly supported coaching programmes in HE.  She has published extensively, with nearly 100 publications. She is Co-PI (India Lead) of the project 'Widening Access to Higher Education in India: Institutional Approaches'.

Emily F. Henderson is a Professor and Director of the Doctoral Education and Academia Research Centre (DEAR), Education Studies, University of Warwick, UK. Her research and approach to teaching are inherently international and interdisciplinary. She founded the MA programme ‘Global Education and International Development’ at the University of Warwick in 2017. She won the Warwick Research Awards Doctoral Supervision Award (Faculty of Social Sciences) in 2024 and the ‘Warwick Wonders and Wows’ Award in 2023 for fostering a positive research culture among PGRs and ECRs. She is a founder and manager of the web platform ‘Diary Method Community’, sharing resources and advice on using diary methods in social sciences and a monthly international reading group. She is Co-editor of the academic blog ‘Conference Inference: Blogging the World of Conferences’. She is the Co-PI (Overall Project Lead) of the project “Widening Access to Higher Education in India: Institutional Approaches”.

Ann Stewart is Professor of Law at the School of Law, University of Warwick, UK. She has held the position of Ford Visiting Professorial Fellow at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. She specialises in issues relating to gender justice and human rights, with long-standing research interests in Eastern & Southern Africa and India.  She is a mentor for Early Career Researchers within the School of law.  She has held a range of positions within the University including co leading the Global Research Priority on International Development. She is a member of the Centre for the Study of Women and Gender, Warwick’s Africa Hub and Warwick India Network. She is the Co-I of the research project “Widening Access to Higher Education in India: Institutional Approaches”.

S. Arokia Mary, Doctoral Scholar, ESRC-UKRI (1+3) years funded PhD, Department of Education Studies, University of Warwick, UK. Her doctoral research examines gendered processes of doctoral socialisation within the politically contested context of Kashmir. She has completed an empirical diary-based study exploring the academic socialisation of doctoral students in India. Her work documents the higher education experiences of Transgender students in India and implementation of sexual harassment law in HE institutions. She also has over five years of teaching experience at undergraduate and postgraduate levels in Kashmir and across India, including in/pre-service teachers and teacher educators.

Rajeshwari is Professor & Chairperson of Department of Geography, Kurukshetra University, Haryana. She has worked at JNU and NCAER (National council of applied economic research), New Delhi, before joining teaching at Kurukshetra University. With 28 years of teaching experience, she specialises in the field of human, social geography and application of geospatial technology in various aspects of geography. Her research publications are in the field of Human and Social Geography and applications of geo-spatial technology in various aspects of geography. She has about 80 research papers published in journals of national and international repute. She has co-authored an edited book “Reflections on 21st Century Human Habitats in India” published by Springer. Recently, she has completed a collaborative research project of NIEPA and University of Warwick, UK on “Widening Access to Higher Education in India”.

Polly Vauquline is Professor and Head of the Department of Women’s Studies at Gauhati University, Guwahati, Assam. Her areas of specialisation include Gender Geography and Women’s Studies. She was the Principal Investigator of a UGC Major Research Project titled Prevention, Prohibition and Redress of Sexual Harassment at Professional and Public Places in Assam and Meghalaya: Post 23 April 2013. She was also the PI of a collaborative project with the North East Network, Workplace: A Site of Sexual Harassment of Women. She was also involved in a Project Puchki, as a Joint Investigator of a collaborative initiative with earth&us and ONGC, focusing on sanitation, hygiene, menstrual hygiene management, and sustainable living.

Abdul Gafoor K is Senior Professor of Education and Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Calicut. He formerly served as Head of the Department of Education and Project Head of the Teaching Learning Centre (PMMMNMTT), as well as State Project Leader for the WAHEI International collaboration with NIEPA and the University of Warwick. A specialist in educational research methodology, Outcome-Based Education (OBE), teacher education, educational psychology, and research tool development, his expertise spans cognitive and non-cognitive assessment, curriculum design for B.Ed./M.Ed. programs, and state-level educational initiatives. His research focuses on psychological and affective factors in learning—particularly in mathematics and science education—self-regulated learning, pedagogy, learning difficulties, parenting styles, academic self-efficacy, concept mapping, inclusive education, and teacher empowerment. He has authored around 100 cited publications, presented at numerous conferences, and contributed to enhancing teacher training and modern educational practices.

Dhanashri Jayant Mahajan is Senior Professor of Economics in the Department of Economics at Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University and Director of the UGC Human Resource Development Centre (HRDC). She was also Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and also was head of Department of Economics. She holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in Economics, with academic specialisation in Industrial Economics, International Economics, and Public Economics. She was awarded the Gold Medal in English Literature and the Chancellor’s Gold Medal in M.A. Economics. She has published extensively in areas related to economic development, industrial performance, trade policy, globalization, and regional economics, with research outputs including books, journal articles, and conference papers. She has completed several research projects.

Lukeshwar Singh Gajpal is Professor and Head of the School of Regional Studies and Research at Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India. He specialises in sociology with research interest in rural agricultural labour and migration, including work with tribal communities in Chhattisgarh. He has received the Teacher of the Year Award from the University Teaching Department, Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University, for Social Science, and the State Award from the Department of Higher Education, Government of Chhattisgarh, for his outstanding service as Best NSS Programme Officer in the state.