Title: Economics education in Northeast India: inviting a second thought

Authors: Manik Bhattacharya; Basu Maan Daas

Addresses: Government Degree College, Dharmanagar, Tripura (N), PIN 799253, India ' Government Degree College, Dharmanagar, Tripura (N), PIN 799253, India

Abstract: Based on secondary sources of observation, this study analyses the socio-economic realities in the Northeastern region of India and how the curriculum and syllabi of economics address the problem. Detailed scrutiny of the syllabi of three selected central universities reveals that the curriculum and syllabi fail to address the economic problems of this region. The curriculum lacks in comprehensiveness as the approach is more or less neoclassical and ignores the history and philosophy behind the socialistic thoughts. This paper recommends that the project work and dissertation should be included in the syllabi as compulsory; and in the present scenario of shrinking public sector employment opportunities, the individual should be developed to generate self-employment in the face of broadening gap between the demographic needs and available opportunities in the rapidly changing socio-economic environment.

Keywords: India; economics curriculum; economics syllabi; neo-classical; socialistic thought; public sector employment; post-Keynesian economics; socio-economics; self-employment; India; economics education; project work; dissertations.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPEE.2013.060176

International Journal of Pluralism and Economics Education, 2013 Vol.4 No.4, pp.387 - 399

Published online: 30 Apr 2014 *

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