Examining the discourse on waste in school education from the standpoint of marginalized communities in Mumbai

Abstract

The M(East) ward of Mumbai is home to one of Asia’s largest open landfill sites. Waste, therefore, is a source of livelihood for millions of people living in the vicinity of this landfill site. In this article, we analyze the educational discourse on waste in the schools of the M(East) ward to understand how it is positioned with respect to the concerns, experiences, and out-of-school knowledge of the students of that community. We employ a critical discourse analysis framework to examine the textbook chapter on waste, classroom teaching practices, and participant teachers’ interviews. The educational discourse is read against the data from focus group discussions with students in out-of-school settings. Our analysis reveals that the curriculum approaches the topic of waste in a reductionist manner with a focus on “scientific” management of waste, while connections between the generation of waste, consumerism, and the nature of economic growth are sidelined. The curriculum and teachers’ discourse exhibits a class and caste character when they emphasize the aesthetic effects of waste management and certain kinds of proenvironmental behaviors and actions. It remains silent about the immense contribution of sanitation work to easing the environmental burden. The teachers’ efforts to contextualize the subject matter and connect to students’ life worlds are also limited. The out-of-school interactions with the students reveal a rich understanding of the recycling economy and, when provided with the opportunities, the resourcefulness to critically evaluate their living conditions. Finally, drawing on scholarship that discusses environmentalism and critical pedagogy in the Indian subcontinent, we envisage possibilities for transformative science education for the students of the M(East) ward.