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2.1 Concept of Diversity
The concept of diversity encompasses
acceptance and respect. It means
understanding that each individual is
unique, and recognizing our individual
differences. These can be along the
dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender,
sexual orientation, socio-economic status,
age, physical abilities, religious beliefs,
political beliefs, or other ideologies. It is
the exploration of these differences in a
safe, positive, and nurturing environment.
It is about understanding each other and
moving beyond simple tolerance to
embracing and celebrating the rich
dimensions of diversity contained within
each individual.
Diversity is a reality created by individuals
and groups from a broad spectrum of
demographic and philosophical differences.
It is extremely important to support and
protect diversity because by valuing
individuals and groups free from prejudice,
and by fostering a climate where equity
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 and mutual respect are intrinsic.
"Diversity" means more than just
acknowledging and/or tolerating
difference. Diversity is a set of conscious
practices that involve:

Understanding and appreciating

interdependence of humanity,
cultures, and the natural environment.
Practicing mutual respect for qualities
and experiences that are different
from our own.
Understanding that diversity includes
not only ways of being but also ways
of knowing;
Recognizing that personal, cultural
and institutionalized discrimination
creates and sustains privileges for
some while creating and sustaining
disadvantages for others;
Building alliances across differences
so that we can work together to
eradicate all forms of discrimination.
Diversity includes, therefore, knowing how
to relate to those qualities and conditions
that are different from our own and outside
the groups to which we belong, yet are
present in other individuals and groups.
These include but are not limited to age,
ethnicity, class, gender, physical
abilities/qualities, race, sexual orientation,
as well as religious status, gender
expression, educational background,
geographical location, income, marital
status, parental status, and work
experiences. Finally, we acknowledge that
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 categories of difference are not always
fixed but also can be fluid, we respect
individual rights to self-identification, and
we recognize that no one culture is
intrinsically superior to another.
The diversity in India is unique. Being a
large country with large population. India
presents endless varieties of physical
features and cultural patterns. It is the land
of many languages it is only in India
people professes all the major religions of
the world. In short, India is “the epitome of
the world”. The vast population is
composed of people having diverse creeds,
customs and colours. Some of the
important forms of diversity in India are
discussed below.

2.2 Types of diversity: Gender,

Linguistic, Caste, Region, Socio-
economic, and Disability
GENDER
Women, constitutes nearly 50% of India‟s
population. According to the provisional
population totals of Census 2011, women
make 48.46% (586.5 Million) of Indian
population. The sex ratio has increased by
7 points to 940. The women constitute an
important segment of the work force in
India and their participation in the
workforce is gradually increasing in the
market. The literacy rate of women in India
has increased from 53.67% in 2001 to
65.64 % in 2011, which has outnumbered
males. The total job seekers registered with
employment exchanges has increased from
26.95 % (as in 2005) to33.3 per cent in
2010 of the total number of applicants on
live register. Moreover, percentage of
placement to registration of women job-
seekers has increased from 2.7 per cent in
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 2009 to 5.3 per cent in 2010 (Statistical
Profile on Women Labor, 2009-2011). With
increasing literacy rates women in India is
developing a potential talent pool to be
explored.
More women are entering the organized
labor market. A total of 20.5%women are
employed in the organized sector in 2011
with 18.1% working in the public sector
and 24.3% in the private (Women and Men
in India 2013 15th Issue). Among the
Private sector, percentage of women is
highest in communications & IT sector
with 15.75 %( Statistical Profile on Women
Labor, 2009-2011). Women are playing a
significant role in the expansion of the
Indian software industry, constituting 45
per cent of the workforce (Budhwar, Saini,
and Bhatnagar, 2004). Similar trends can
be noticed in education sector and the BPO
(Business Process Outsourcing) industry
where women are employed in sizeable
numbers (Woodward & Saini, 2006).
MNCs in India are increasing the number
of women in their organization and
recruiting higher number of women
exclusively concerned as business case.
Further, the new company law 2013 has a
mandate to, have at least one woman on the
board. The second provision of sub-section
1 of Section 149 of the new Indian
Companies Act 2013 compels every listed
Company and every other Public Limited
Company which has paid-up share capital
of one hundred crore rupees or more; or
turnover of three hundred crore rupees or
more to include a women board member.
This would, force companies to rope in
gender diversity at top level.
LINGUISTIC DIVERSITY
The census of 1961 listed as many as 1,652
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 languages and dialects. Since most of these
languages are spoken by very few people,
the subsequent census regarded them as

spurious but the 8′h Schedule of the

Constitution of India recognizes 22
languages. These are (1) Assamese, (2)
Bengali, (3) Gujarati, (4) Hindi, (5)
Kannada, (6) Kashmir. (7) Konkani. (8)
Malayalam. (9) Manipuri, (10) Marathi,
(11) Nepali. (12) Oriya, (13) Punjabi, (14)
Sanskrit. (15) Tamil, (16) Telugu, (17)
Urdu, and (18) Sindhi, (19) Santhali, (20)
Boro, (21) Maithili and (22) Dogri. But
four of these languages namely Sanskrit,
Kashmiri, Nepali and Sindhi are not
official languages in any State of the Indian
Union. But all these languages are rich in
literature Hindi in Devanagiri script is
recognized as the official language of the
Indian Union by the Constitution.
The second largest language, Telugu, is
spoken by about 60 million people, mostly
in Andhra Pradesh. Most of the languages
spoken in North India belong to the Indo-
Aryan family, while the languages of the
South namely Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam
and Kannada belong to the Dravidian
family.
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 It is said that India is a “Veritable tower of
babel”. In the words of A.R. Desai “India
presents a spectacle of museum of
tongues”.

This linguistic diversity notwithstanding,

there was always a sort of link languages,
though it has varied from age to age. In
ancient times, it was Sanskrit, in medieval
age it was Arabic or Persian and in modern
times there are Hindi and English as
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 official languages.

CASTE DIVERSITY
India is a country of castes. Caste or Jati
refers to a hereditary, endogamous status
group practicing a specific traditional
occupation. It is surprising to know that
there are more than 3,000 Jatis in India.
These are hierarchically graded in different
ways in different regions.

It may also be noted that the practice of

caste system is not confined to Hindus
alone. We find castes among the Muslims,
Christians, Sikhs as well as other
communities. We have heard of the
hierarchy of Shaikh, Saiyed, Mughal,
Pathan among the Muslims, Furthermore,
there are castes like Teli (oil pressure).
Dhobi (washerman), Darjee (tailor) etc.
among the Muslims. Similarly, caste
consciousness among the Christians in
India is not unknown. Since a vast majority
of Christians in India were converted from
Hindu fold, the converts have carried the
caste system into Christianity. Among the
Sikhs again we have so many castes
including Jat Sikh and Majahabi Sikh
(lower castes). In view of this we can well
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 imagine the extent of caste diversity in
India.

In addition to the above described major

forms of diversity, we have diversity of
many other sorts like settlement pattern –
tribal, rural, urban; marriage and kinship
pattern along religious and regional lines
and so on.

REGION OF ORIGIN
India is a large country having continental
dimensions and comprising 29
States/regions and 7 Union Territories.
Regionalism in India has roots pre
independence when it was used as tool to
keep India divided. After independence the
provinces were reorganized on the basis on
language recommended by States
Reorganization Committee (SRC) of 1953,
headed by Fazal Ali.
These regions vary by languages,
topographic and climatic variations along
with differences in the settlement pattern.
Each of these regions is a distinct cultural
region with distinct cultural heritage,
folklore, myths, symbolism and historical
traditions. These are the areas with distinct
geographical boundaries and have common
cultural elements. Moreover, the other
dimensions of identity such as religion and
caste are also regionally specific, plural in
beliefs and practices. Followers of similar
religion vary in their practices in different
regions (Bhattacharya, 2005) due to
cultural differences.
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 These regions are unevenly developed.
This disparity has caused the feeling of
relative deprivation among the inhabitants
of economically neglected regions. After
independence regional feelings has very
much thrived in India (Gochhayat, 2013).
Moreover, the regional political parties
exploit the regional sentiments to develop
their support bases. The breaded regional
feeling has strongly manifested into
demand for separate states such as
Bodoland, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand,
Chhatisgarh, and Telangana.
The phenomenon of regionalism has its
roots in the hearts and minds of Indian.
Singh & Bhagel (2013) states that every
Indian carries a split personality-he is in
part rationalistic and in par nationalistic ,
there is always a natural tendency towards
the primacy of the rationalistic element
over the nationalistic one. People identify
themselves with their regions as Punjabi,
Rajasthani, Guajarati, Marathi etc.
portraying their strong emotional
attachment to their states.
CATEGORIZING THE
DEMOGRAPHIC AND SOCIO-
CULTURAL DIMENSION OF INDIAN
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 DIVERSITY
Grounded on the familiar typology of
Harrison et al., (1998) and contextual
understanding of dimension in Indian
society, the most identified demographic
and socio-cultural dimension of diversity
are categorized as visible, partially visible,
partially deep and deep. They categorized
different dimensions of diversity as:
surface-level diversity and deep-level
diversity. Surface level diversity is defined
as “differences among group members in
overt, biological characteristics that are
typically reflected in physical features” (p.
97). These dimensions are visible and
easily perceived by individuals. Whereas,
deep-level diversity refers to more subtle
attributes that cannot necessarily be
perceived right away.
The demographic dimensions such as
gender, age and physical disability (moving
and seeing) are easily identified by the
biological characteristics and are
categorized as visible dimensions. The
socio-cultural dimensions such as religion
and the demographic dimensions such as
region of origin and physical disability
(hearing and speaking) are partially visible.
Though these dimensions are not readily
visible but a little observation, can lead to
identification. India has 29 states and each
state, due to variation in topography,
climate and history has differences in
culture, lifestyle and physical appearance,
which are indicators of region an individual
belongs to .For eg. North Indians are fairer
in complexion whereas South Indians are a
shade darker. Further, Kashmiri and
Himachli are very fair with sharp features.
Tamilians were chandan mark on forehead.
Keralites have dark curly hairs. North
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 eastern Indians are generally short and
have small eyes. South Indians are more
traditional in dressing than north Indians
and north eastern Indians. Similarly
different religions , has their own symbols
of identification , Sikh wear turban ,few
Muslims keep beard and wear cap, Hindu
brahmins wear a thread around their
shoulder and all hindu women were a bindi
. And physical disability (hearing and
speaking) could be identified by their aids
or the signals they use. Readily visible and
partially visible dimensions are identifiable
without any interaction.
The socio-cultural dimensions such as
language and caste are identifiable by some
interaction and are categorized as partially
deep. As language is the medium of
communication and incidences of informal
communication could identify the mother
tongues. Most of the Indian castes are
identified by the sir names of an individual,
which could be known by the initial
interactions and further interactions could
identify better.
DISABILITY
According to the Census 2011, there are
2.21 % (i.e. 26,810,557 Crores) persons
with disabilities in India. In India,
government departments and public sector
undertakings (PSUs) have taken the lead
and had been important employers of
disabled people. The Govt. of India has
reserved 3% reservation of jobs for persons
with disability in 1977; the reservation was
only in the lower ranking jobs (C &D
categories). However, with India adopting
the Persons with Disability Act of 1995,
the reservation was extended to higher
ranking (A & B) categories. The categories
of persons with disability benefited by this
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 scheme are the visual impaired, the hearing
impaired and the orthopedically impaired
on 1% reservation for each category in the
Central Govt. services, Public Sector
Banks and Govt. Undertakings.
A Study by Society for Disability and
Rehabilitation Studies (2008) on public
sector reported that 80% of the respondents
got the employment within 1 year of
applying for the job. And 90% of the
disabled employees were in their respective
profession for more than 5 years.
Further , to motivate private sector, the
Persons with Disability Act of 1995
provides employment incentives for public
and private sector companies that have at
least 5% of their workforce comprising of
disabled persons. In a survey conducted by
National Centre for Promotion of
Employment for Disabled People
(NCPEDP) on top 100 companies in 1999,
the rate of employment of disabled in
private sector was a dismal 0.28% and in
multinational companies, it was 0.05%. In
2001, NCPEDP conducted a survey on „top
100 IT companies‟, the rate of employment
of disabled people was 0.58%. A recent
study titled “'Indian IT/ITES Industry;
Impacting Economy and Society 2007-
2008' by NASSCOM and Deloitte in April
2008 indicates that "64% of IT/ITES
companies employ persons with disability.
This portrays that the scenario is changing ,
corporate India has, in recent years,
followed in the public sector's footsteps
and hiring people with disability for
various economic and social reasons not
just as a token gesture but as a business
imperative. Private companies in IT,
Manufacturing, Hotels, Food & Beverage
outlets have started hiring disabled people
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 for several reasons such as corporate social
responsibility, increasing diversity in
workplace, to be viewed as equal
opportunity employer, tap a larger talent
pool. Further it makes them business sense,
as the disabled exhibit higher degree of
focus and concentration, higher retention
rate, more dependable, greater value in
certain roles; they bring value to our
customers, more loyal to an organization
and increases workforce morale. The
percentage of people with disability in the
population is steadily increasing, and it is
impractical to continue to ignore this
segment of our population.

2.3 Diversity in learning and play

Play and Cultural Diversity
One of the most common elements
of childhood across cultures is play.
Early childhood educators must
recognize the importance of play in
the lives of young children and make
use of play as a means of promoting
cultural awareness.
An examination of the relationship
of play and cultural diversity is
important for at least three reasons.
First, a rapidly growing population
of young children from culturally
diverse backgrounds is entering
schools. Second, play is a way for
children to learn about the world
around them and to learn cultural
values. They not only learn about
themselves but also about
differences in other people. And
finally, early education programs
must work to enhance a positive
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 awareness of individual differences
and cultural diversity as a whole.
Play experiences may serve as an
excellent way to help teach children
about the differences in other people
and that these differences are not
bad.
Play and Cultural Values
Communicating cultural values to
young children is a part of every
society. Swick (1987) notes that
cultural influences on children come
from many sources including the
family, neighborhoods, child care
centers, and the media. He also
stresses the importance of young
children developing a sense of pride
in themselves and a sense of
understanding of people in various
cultures. Matiella (1991) indicates
that it is important to teach children
that differences in people do exist
and that these differences are not
bad. Play is a way for young children
to learn about the cultural norms and
values of a society. Ivic and
Marjanovic (1986) indicate that
traditional games, especially games
with rules, generally form an integral
part of a culture in that they provide
a means of communication for social
norms, assist in the assimilation of
group members, and allow for
differentiation among group
members. The games children play
and the playthings they use in play
are often tied to the culture in which
they live and provide a way for
children to practice skills needed as
adults. Play then, serves an
important role in enculturation.
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 Children can differ from each other in
many ways, and an awareness of
differences should include an
understanding of differences based on such
variables as gender, disability, religion, or
geographic region. The most important
factor is to encourage children to interact
with each other, and play may be the best
way to foster this interaction.

2.4 Addressing diverse learning

needs
All children can learn and reach their full
potential when they get opportunities,
effective teaching and appropriate
resources. It is best to make decisions
related to the placement of students on an
individual basis in a way that maximizes
their opportunity to participate fully in the
experience of schooling.

DIVERSITY OF LEARNERS

Diverse learners include students from

racially, ethnically, culturally, and
linguistically diverse families and
communities of different socioeconomic
status.
Learning and Thinking Styles: refer to
the preferred way an individual processes
information
.
Sensory Preferences- individuals tend to
gravitate toward one or two types of
sensory inputs and maintain dominance in
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 one of the following types:

Visual Learners may think in pictures and

learn best from visual aids like diagrams,
illustrated textbooks, overhead
transparencies, videos, flip charts and
hand-outs.
· Visual Iconic- prefer visual imagery
like film, graphic display or pictures.
· Visual Symbolic- prefer abstract
symbolisms like written words or
mathematical formula

Auditory Learners learn best through

verbal lectures, discussions, talking things
through and listening to what others have
to say.
· Listeners- remember things said to
them and make the information their
own.
· Talkers- prefer to talk and discuss

Tactile/Kinesthetic Learners prefer

“learning by doing”, benefit much from
hands-on approach, actively exploring the
physical world around them
For School
1. Recognize the diversity of students as
learners and offer powerful programs that
provide the differentiated learning
opportunities that will accelerate the
achievement of all students.
2. Commit to time for faculty to:
• engage in discussions of the
needs of diverse learners and
how those needs can be
identified in the classroom;
• identify and use school-wide
:
 strategies for addressing those
needs; and,
• identify the methods and
criteria for monitoring the
success of these strategies.

3. Implement the shared strategies and

monitor them to make mid-course
corrections as needed.

4. Develop community support for the

school and its work among parents and the
surrounding community; provide them with
meaningful action opportunities.
5. Communicate clearly within the school
and the school community about the
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 achievement of diverse groups of students,
analyzing ongoing school successes and
challenges, and committing to continuous
improvement in the achievement of all
students.

2.5 Diversity: Global Perspective

The need for students to be able to
empathize with others, value diverse
perspectives and cultures, understand how
events around the world are interconnected,
and solve problems that transcend borders
has never been greater.
Engaging students with the world is one
step toward one day accomplishing such
objectives. But what should educators
teach to ensure that all students are
prepared to successfully engage in the
globalized world in which they already
live? Furthermore, what steps can
educators take to effectively foster globally
minded knowledge, skills, and attitudes in
students?
For students to participate effectively in the
global community, they will need to
develop global competence: the attitudes,
knowledge, and skills needed to live and
work in today’s interconnected world and
to build a sustainable, peaceful, inclusive
world for the future. Global competence is
often, and rightly, labeled a “21st century
skill” needed for employment in today’s
global economy. Yet global competence is
so much more than a ticket to a competitive
job. Students also need global competence
to participate as empathetic, engaged, and
effective citizens of the world.
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 These frameworks tend to coalesce around
the following attitudes, knowledge, and
skills:
• Attitudes: This includes openness,
respect, and appreciation for diversity;
valuing of multiple perspectives, including
an awareness of the cultural and
experiential influences that shape one’s
own and others’ perspectives; empathy; and
social responsibility, or a desire to better
the human condition on a local and global
scale.
• Knowledge: This refers to the ability to
understand global issues and current
events; global interdependence, including
the impact of global events on local
conditions and vice versa; the processes of
globalization and its effects on economic
and social inequities locally and globally;
world history; culture; and geography.
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 • Skills: These includes the ability to
communicate across cultural and linguistic
boundaries, including the ability to speak,
listen, read, and write in more than one
language; collaborate with people who
have diverse cultural, racial, linguistic, and
socioeconomic backgrounds; think
critically and analytically; problem-solve;
and take action on issues of global
importance.

Classroom Strategies
• Integrating global topics and perspectives
across content areas.
• Providing opportunities for authentic
engagement with global issues.
• Connecting the global experiences of
students and teachers to the classroom.
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