Authors: Animesh Chowdhury, Dr. Pradeep Kumar Kesharwani
Abstract: It further explores the ways in which Ambedkar's constitutional ideal, as reflected in the concepts of dignity, equality, liberty and fraternity are materialised, negotiated or violated in everyday experiences of inclusion in rural India. Based on Section 16 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 & Article 24 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, this study examines inclusion and exclusion of children with disabilities and other marginalized learners due to how administrative governance, institutional capacity and street level discretion plays out in the lived experience of inclusion in rural elementary schools in a selected district. The research used qualitative case study design embedded within a structured audit framework and is based on interviews with teachers, head teachers, parents, and block and district officials; classroom observations; school accessibility audits; and policy-document review. Thematic analysis identifies three core findings. First, district and block governance largely operates through procedural compliance and data reporting, which often displaces dignity-centered problem solving and weakens school-facing support. Second, capacity constraints (barriered infrastructure, uneven training, scarce specialist support, and multigrade classrooms) create a predictable gap between rights-based mandates and routine practice. Third, teacher and head teacher discretion becomes the main mechanism through which dignity is either produced (through adaptive pedagogy and peer-support routines) or denied (through informal exclusion, labeling, and lowered expectations). The article proposes a dignity-centered implementation lens that connects Ambedkar's constitutional morality to institutional accountability in inclusive schooling and offers policy recommendations to strengthen coordination, capacity, and rights-based school culture in rural contexts.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18937987
