Inclusive and Equitable Education in Medical Sciences: The Indian Scenario

Abstract: Equitable, inclusive, and quality education identifies and attempts to eliminate barriers, promotes a sense of belonging and lays the foundation for success and better learning outcomes for all learners. The principles of inclusive and equitable education have been adopted in medical sciences by many countries long back and subsequently adopted by other countries. In this paper, the history of adopting inclusive and equitable education in the USA and India has been studied along with challenges and progress made for implementation. Differences between inclusive and equitable education in India and abroad have been reported. The status of implementation of inclusive and equitable education in medical sciences has been evaluated based on the performance of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the All-India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE, 2019–20) and the Periodic Labor Force Survey (PLFS 2019-20). Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3 or Global Goal 3), regarding "Good Health and Well-being", is one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations in 2015. Strategies for Achieving Inclusive and Equitable Education in Medical Sciences reported in literature have been studied. Initiatives by the Government of India and Non-Governmental Organizations to promote inclusive and equitable medical education have been reported which lays the foundation to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3) in India. Keywords: Inclusive and Equitable Education, Medical Sciences, Sustainable Development Goals, Government of India, Non-Governmental Organizations