Communalism and COVID-19 Have Changed the Classroom for Indian Muslim Children (The Wire) 

The Wire published an op-ed co-authored by Associate Research Fellow Muzna Alvi on reopening schools in India. Education remains an important concern since the pandemic-induced lockdown started in March this year. This op-ed focuses on Indian Muslims, but these insights could very well translate to other communities facing deprivation based on their social identity among them “refugees, migrants, minorities, those living in poverty and in remote geographical areas or urban slums, children with disabilities, those who lack nutrition and protection, those exposed to child labor, violence, and other adverse conditions, and the vulnerabilities of women. Given India’s demographic diversity it is critical to understand this issue in the context of education. It is imperative that classrooms provide an enabling environment for children, especially for those with the highest levels of vulnerabilities.