Exploring the drivers and barriers to the non-formal education in Anganwadi centers for sustainable development education: a multiple stakeholder study

ABSTRACT

The most populous country in the world, India, seeks to achieve universal education for its citizens. An informal education system for preschool children to develop their learning abilities is crucial. Anganwadi workers provide informal education. While there have been several studies on Anganwadi-based informal education, there is a lack of studies presenting a holistic perspective of all the stakeholders in the informal education system, especially following the New Education Policy 2020 and SDG 4. This study undertakes 46 interviews across five stakeholders. It presents five themes – policy and regulation, education, social norms, infrastructure, and human resources. These themes further present the driving or barrier factors to meet the objectives. The study concludes by discussing the theoretical and managerial implications.

KEYWORDS:

• National education policy
• non-formal education
• qualitative research
• anganwadi

Sustainable Development Goals:

• SDG 4: Quality education

Acknowledgment

We acknowledge the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) for funding the study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Indian Council of Social Science Research.

Notes on contributors

Ruchi Garg

Ruchi Garg is an associate professor at BML Munjal University, Gurgaon. She completed her Fellowship in Management (FPM) from the Management Development Institute. Her research interests include Education quality, Consumer brand relationships, Mindful consumption, Sustainability Marketing, and consumer behavior.

Ritu Chhikara

Ritu Chhikara is an Associate Professor of Marketing and Sustainability at BML Munjal University, Gurugram, India. She has worked in the areas of Education Quality, Sensory Marketing, Sustainable consumer behavior, and Omni Channel retailing.

Aakansha Kataria

Aakanksha Kataria is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Management Studies, Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur. She received her Ph.D. in I/O Psychology from the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee. She has a unique combination of demonstrated experiences leading multidisciplinary research, teaching, industry exposure, and presenting papers at international conferences. With a genuine passion for I/O Psychology and people management, her research interests include education quality, compassion, positive organizational psychology, work engagement, and employee well-being. Her work is published and highlighted in high-quality, reputed international journals such as Gender, Work, and Organization, Employee Relations, South Asian Journal of Management, and International Journal of Productivity and Performance.

Gautam Agrawal

Gautam Agrawal is a corporate-turned-academician with 18+ years of combined experience. He has published several research papers in reputed academic journals and presented them at international conferences like AMA, BAM, and ANZMAC. His research spans multiple domains and the intersection of the sharing economy, sustainability, consumer behavior, and online retail. Gautam has authored several case studies as teaching tools for management students. Through his projects and papers, he is trying to bridge the gap between industry and academics.