Institute of Education London

Dr Marie Lall

• Qualifications and position:
  • BSc(econ), M Phil (Cantab), PhD, FRSA
  • Reader in Education Policy and South Asian Studies
• Faculty:
  • Faculty of Policy and Society
• Department:
  • Humanities and Social Science
• Summary:
  • I am a South Asia Specialist working on education and politics in India, Pakistan and Myanmar.
• Teaching:
  • I am Module Leader for the Exploring Education and Social Policy course on the MA in Inspection and Regulation, an online masters for HM Inspectors.
    Other Masters Courses: I am a part of the course team for Education and International Development: Concepts, Theories and Issues, the core module for the MA in Education and International Development; I teach on Understanding Education Policy, a Core module for the MAs in Policy Studies, Economics of Education and Education Management and Administration.
    I also teach the South Asia lectures on the optional module Education and Development in Asia.
• Research Projects:
  • Current research includes work on the understanding of citizenship in Pakistan and across the Pakistani diaspora, focusing on the role that education plays in forming this conception.
    I am also conducting similar research in Myanmar, where I am looking in particular at the differences between Bamar and ethnic minority conceptions of citizenship in light of the recent structural changes at government and state level.
    Another research project involves looking at the role ceasefires have played in allowing the spread of ethnic language education in ethnic minority areas in Myanmar.
    Recently concluded projects include:
    1. Examining the process of citizenship making across Europe and Asia, focusing on the role of elites and education in citizenship making in India. (Part of the Excellence Initiative run by the South Asia Institute at the University of Heidelberg)
    2. Child Centred teaching and learning practices in non-state Myanmar schools
    3. The effects of globalisation and neoliberal policies on education in India and the UK
• Postgraduate Research:
  • Open to review applications for doctoral research on education issues (in particular education policy) in India, Pakistan and Myanmar or research on education policy in other low income countries.
• Professional Activities:
  • Editorial Board – Contemporary South Asia
    Honorary Fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies(ISAS) at the National University of Singapore
• Conferences/presentations:
  • Invited to present a paper on 'Perceptions of the state in light of the 2010 Myanmar Elections' at the Burma Update conference, ANU, Canberra, Australia, May 2011.
    Keynote at the Burma/ Myanmar Elections conference, Heinrich Boell Stift., Berlin,Germany, Nov 2010.
    Invited to present a paper on the education, citizenship and philanthrophy in Pakistan at the Indian Comparative Education Society conference, JNU, New Delhi, India, Nov 2010.
• Personal Country Knowledge:
  • India, Pakistan and Myanmar
• Media Appearances:
  • Regular BBC News 24/ BBC World (TV), Sky TV, Aljazeera TV, Reuters TV, CNN India, Times Now TV India, Press TV and BBC Radio interviews on Education, Politics and International Relations in Pakistan, India and Myanmar:
    
    • BBC World Service, invited on 'The World Today' as a guest on the 2 hour morning show, 18/07/2009.
    • BBC World Service, invited on 'The World Today' to comment on the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, 13 and 14/11/2010.
    • Invited onto the Riz Khan Show after the Mumbai attacks, 10/12/2008. See videos at tinyurl.com/d6q684y and at tinyurl.com/ce3jazk
    • Invited to by Aljazeera on Inside Story on the Ayodhya verdict, 02/10/2010, see video at tinyurl.com/cspxgye and on India anti corruption campaign, 29/08/2010, see video at tinyurl.com/c4uw8km
    • Interviewed by George Galloway on The Real Deal, Press TV on Pakistan on 24/10/2010, see video at tinyurl.com/burtb7d and on 09/01/2011, see video at tinyurl.com/bl3rxhh
• Languages Spoken:
  • Fluent in French, German, Spanish and Portuguese. Basic Hindi and Urdu
• Languages Written:
  • French and German - fluent. Spanish and Portuguese - advanced.
• Research Students:
  • PhD students:
    • Aisha Bhutta - The meaning of literacy for women in the Pakistani Diaspora
    • Zulfiqar Ali - The political economy and policy sociology of education in Pakistan
    Ed D:
    • Audrey Mwansa – Enactment of the Free Basic Education Policy in Zambia Examining the Gap between Policy Rhetoric and Practice
    • Isabelle Perez Gore – An enquiry into non-traditional Indian students' issues in UK institutions and their coping mechanisms
    • Fawad Shams - Education and international aid development agencies in Pakistan.