Paper: Where are the four-year olds? Preschool participation and learning outcomes in India
Affiliation: ASER Centre (Pratham Education Foundation), India
Bursary Awarded: 2015
Being accepted to present a paper at the 13th UKFIET International Conference 2015 was an extremely prestigious and important opportunity for me. However, working in a non-profit, educational research organisation in India, I was also worried about funding my trip and it was only through the generous support of the UKFIET bursary award that I could attend and participate in this conference.
The three days of UKFIET 2015 were filled with insights and interactions! I was presenting from a longitudinal study on early childhood education in India and gained immensely from the feedback of the audience. Some of the questions and conversations that I had with participants have developed into separate pieces of research that I continue to engage with currently. I also benefit greatly from attending a wide array of sessions on topics ranging from low-cost private schooling models, assessment frameworks in education, using data to guide equitable policy-making and education in conflict as well as networking with researcher and peers from across the world.
The UKFIET conference was an excellent platform to not just share my work but also meet researchers and scholars from around the world, many of whom I have followed for my own work. I am grateful to the UKFIET bursary committee for having supported me and other researchers in 2015. The availability of such awards is of immense value to less fortunate researchers, development professionals and organisations. I wish the organising committee the best for UKFIET 2017 and trust that it will be as engaging as previous conferences!
In 2015, Purnima presented her paper ‘Where are the four-year olds? Preschool participation and learning outcomes in India’
