Education Reform in Delhi, India: A Case Study of the Happiness Curriculum

• In Event: Transforming Education Systems for Holistic Student Development: Learning From Case Studies Around the World

Abstract

Purpose

This paper analyzes the introduction and implementation of a curriculum teaching mindfulness, socio-emotional learning, and ‘a triad of happiness’, called ‘The Happiness Curriculum’, in Delhi, India. The enabling conditions that led to large-scale implementation in Delhi, as well as subsequent adaptations of the curriculum in other states in India, are examined.

Perspective

Delhi is administratively a union territory of India and, as the capital of the country, it is governed by both local and national governments. The state Department of Education currently covers the administration of 1,040 government schools, which encompasses 36% of the total student population – with a high proportion of students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, relative to schools under private administration. The government systems collaborate with quasi-state bodies and NGOs for curriculum development and teacher training.

A focus on academic outcomes and rote learning has, in the past, been intrinsic to many reforms within India’s education system. Since 2005, however, with the introduction of the National Curriculum Framework, the national Ministry has begun to match its long-standing emphasis on students’ attainment with a complementary emphasis on holistic student development. In Delhi specifically, the government has initiated a series of reforms shifting away from purely academic outcomes. Responding to the needs of Delhi’s students, as well as to global trends advancing students’ wellbeing, the Happiness Curriculum was developed in 2018 by the Delhi government in conjunction with five ‘knowledge partner’ NGOs.

Methods

This case uses semi-structured interviews conducted between 2017-2022 with government and NGO staff. In addition, evaluation reports conducted by key NGO partners and external organizations are integrated and analyzed and document analysis of the Happiness Curriculum Framework was undertaken.

Results

Broader education reforms in Delhi frame the introduction and implementation of the Happiness Curriculum. These include a greater investment in education infrastructure; a greater devolution of power and finance to head teachers and School Management Committees (including parents); the reorganization of teacher training programs; and the introduction of other mindset curricula alongside the Happiness Curriculum. The large-scale launch of the curriculum led to mixed implementation but retrospectively has been acknowledged as the most effective approach for a scalable intervention.

The key tensions that emerged from the analysis were between remedial academic teaching and the need for wellbeing interventions following the COVID-19 pandemic; initial resistance from teachers on the ground as against the strong political will of the government launching the curriculum; and the challenge of effectively translating the curriculum to other states in India with poorer resources or geographical differences.

Significance

The Happiness Curriculum has largely been hailed as a success by the Indian media and public. Lessons in large-scale and effective implementation can be drawn, with key lessons of a large-scale launch, a high specification for ease of implementation, clear feedback loops, and material investment being identified in our analysis. At the same time, challenges of running the curriculum during the pandemic and reconciling the differences between a still-existing academic focus with holistic student development, are significant considerations in the design of similar interventions.

Authors

• Devi Khanna, University of Manchester
  Presenting Author

• Amelia Peterson, London Interdisciplinary School
  Presenting Author