157,  Sahyog Apartments
Mayur Vihar – I
New Delhi – 110091, India
Phone: 91 – 11 – 2275 8073
Mobile: 9810532923   
E – Mail: daswani@vsnl.com

Educational Qualifications  

1. MA in English Literature – 1959  (Agra University, India)
2. Diploma in Applied Linguistics – 1964 (Edinburgh University, UK)
3. MA in Linguistics – 1968 (Cornell University, USA)
4. PhD in Linguistics – 1969 (Cornell University, USA)

Additional Qualifications   

1. Certificate in Teaching of English – Central Institute of English, Hyderabad 1961
2. Certificate in Audio – Visual Aids – Overseas Visual Aids Center, London 1964
3. Certificate in French - 1964
4. Certificate in German – 1986

Professional  Experience

Consultant, UNESCO, New Delhi (June 1996 – 31st March 2001)

1. Professor of Non – Formal Education, National Council of Educational Research & Training, New Delhi  (July 1987 – May 1996)
2. Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies, University of Poona, Pune  (June 1983 – June1987)
3. Professor of English Language, University of Poona, Pune  (June 1980 – June 1983)
4.  Consultant, Directorate of Adult Education, Ministry of Education (GOI), New Delhi (December 1978 to June 1980)
5. Professor of Linguistics, School of Languages, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi (May 1978 – November 1978)
6. Associate Professor in Linguistics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi  (April 1974 - May 1978)
7. Reader in Linguistics, Department of Linguistics, University of Delhi  (1969 – 1974)
8. Lecturer in English, Department of English, Dyal Singh College, University of Delhi  (1959 – 1968)
9. Primary School Teacher, Bhawnani Primary School, Dehra Dun (1952-1959)

Present Position

Executive Director, Remedia Trust, New Delhi

Additional Current Responsibilities

1. Professor Emeritus, International Institute of Adult and Lifelong Education, New Delhi
2. Academic Adviser, Sadhu Vaswani International School, New Delhi
3. India National Coordinator, Bridges to the Future Initiative, International Literacy Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA

Administrative  Experience

1. Provost, Jawaharlal Nehru University
2. Head of University Departments (Jawaharlal Nehru University & University Of Poona)
3. Director, Post Graduate Studies, University of Poona
4. Coordinator, Center for Interdisciplinary Programs, University of Poona
5. Director Staff Orientation, University of Poona
6. Head, Women’s Studies Unit, N.C. E. R .T.
7. Head, Department of Non-Formal Education & Alternative Schooling, N.C.E.R.T.

Areas of Specialization

English Literature

1. English Language
2. Theoretical Linguistics
3. Applied Linguistics
4. South-Asian Linguistics
5. Sociolinguistics
6. Communication
7. Distance Education
8. Teaching-Learning Materials Development
9. Teacher Training
10. Adult Education        
11. Non-Formal Education
12. Sindhi Language and Literature

Research

1. A Study of Linguistic Translation – Edinburgh University Dissertation
2. Adverbials of Time and Location in English – Cornell University, Ph.D. Dissertation
3. Sociolinguistic Survey of Indian Sindhi
4. Measurement of Language Competence
5. Primary Education for Tribal Children

Scholarships

1. British Council Scholarship (1963 – 1964)
2. Ford Foundation Fellowship (1966 – 1968)

Membership of Learned Societies (Life Member)

1. Linguistic Society of America
2. Linguistic Society of India
3. Indian Association for English
4. Indian Adult Education Association
5. Dravidian Linguistic Association

Other Information

Former Member on Committees of Several Learned Societies  (Vice President of the Linguistic Society of India in 1980)

1. UNESCO Consultant in Adult Education (from 1980)
2. Former Member, AIMVA (Belgium)
3. Former Member, Editorial Board – LANGUAGE LEARNING  (USA)
4. Former Member, Editorial Board – Studies in Written Language and Literacy, John Benjamins, (Amsterdam)
5. Attended numerous national and international seminars and conferences in the areas of adult education, non-formal education and linguistics.

Publications

1. More than forty books including adult literacy primers, grammar books, research reports, etc. on English language, linguistics, sociolinguistics, adult education and Sindhi.
2. More than a hundred research articles on several areas of specialization listed above.

Honours

1. UGC National Lecturer in English & Linguistics – 1987 – 88
2. Visiting Professor, Osmania University, December 1990
3. Member, Sindhi Advisory Committee – Sahitya Akademi
4. Chairman, IPCL Committee, National Literacy Mission
5. Member, South Asia Block For Literacy & Adult Education, National Literacy Mission
6. Member, Governing Body, PRAYAS, New Delhi
7. Trustee, NAYA  PRAYAS, New Delhi
8. Vice President, Citizens Initiative on Elementary Education, New Delhi
9. President, Initiative for Social Change and Action, New Delhi
10. Member, Executive Committee, Sindhi Academy, Government of  Delhi
11. Member, Sindhi Language Learning Committee, National Council for the Promotion of Sindhi language, Government of India
12. Member, National Council for the Development of Indian Languages, Government of India

Strengths

1. Designed the Programme of Academic Staff College, UGC, in 1987.  The Academic Staff Colleges currently operate from numerous Indian Universities.
2. Worked in the field of Adult Education since 1978 when I was consultant to the Ministry of Education, Government of India, for the National Adult Education Programme. Responsible for developing teaching-learning materials and innovating methods for mass literacy.
3. Written/helped write literacy primers in several Indian languages. Evolved a model for writing these primers.
4. Trained thousands of adult literacy teachers.
5. Developed a training methodology for training of non-formal educators - over three hundred thousand educators trained through this methodology.
6. Published numerous research papers on various aspects of adult education.