The process of education and attainments

Introduction

Education is one of the most vital driver to eradicate the poverty and boosting shared prosperity. There are certain necessities without which a man cannot live a life of his own. One of these is education. Education is the basis for development and empowerment for every nation. It plays a vital role in understanding and participating in day to day activities of today’s world. It builds one’s character and plays a significant role in transmitting one’s culture, belief and values to others in society. It helps in creating innovations and meeting the growing needs of every nation. The development of a nation is not measured through the buildings it has built, the roads it has laid down, bridges it has constructed but by the human resources, the nation has developed through a well-defined system of education. Although the physical facilities are usually important they are perishable and valuable. In the absence of proper education, the nation can hardly develop these and maintain them. Education is therefore more crucial factor not only to equip the  new generations with skills so essential for earning a livelihood but also to create among them an awareness to social and environmental realities and inculcate in them scientific temper, independence of mind and spirit which are of paramount importance for them to become responsible citizens.

Education is one of the basic necessity of man to attain the social and economic prosperity in his life and open the doors for the future generations. It is the basic driver of development and empowerment for every nation. Education, in the present day context, is perhaps the single most important means for individuals to improve personal endowments, build capability levels, overcome constraints and in the process, enlarge their available set of opportunities and choices for a sustained improvement in well-being. It is not only a means to enhance human capital, productivity and, hence, the compensation to labour, but it is equally important for enabling the process of acquisition, assimilation and communication of information and knowledge, all of which augments a person’s quality of life. Education is important not merely as means to other ends, but it is an attribute that is valued in itself, by most individuals. More importantly, it is a critical invasive instrument for bringing about social, economic and political inclusion and a durable integration of people, particularly those ‘excluded’, from the mainstream of any society.

The process of education and attainments thereof has an impact on all aspects of life. It captures capability of acquiring knowledge, communication, and participation in community life. It alters an individual’s and even community’s collective perceptions, aspirations, goals as well as the ability and the means to attain them. The level and spread of education has not only been an important precondition for sustained economic growth, both in the developed and the developing countries, but it has also played a critical facilitative role in the demographic, social and political transition of these societies. Creation, application and adaptation of new technologies, lower fertility, infant and child mortality rates, better nutritional, hygiene and health status of children, reproductive health and empowerment of women, social mobility and political freedom, all have visible linkages with educational attainments of people.

It is, undoubtedly, a basic component of human development. Improvements in educational attainments have invariably been accompanied by improvement in health and longevity of the population and in their economic well – being. Educated people are likely to be more productive and hence better off. They are also likely to contribute more to a country’s economic growth. At the same time, education reinforces the socio-economic dynamics of a society towards equality in attainments and opportunities for its people. Though, the returns to education may vary across individuals, regions, level and nature of education, in general, they are significantly higher for poor developing areas than for the rich. Education is therefore, the best social investment, given the synergies and the positive externalities that it generates for people in their well-being. It is also a priority for countries seeking to develop and sustain their level and pace of development.

The growth of society is not possible without education. It is with this reason that almost all the eminent educationists have unanimously agreed that education is the pillar on which the entire fabric of nation resides. Whether a society is formed through contract or communication, education plays its vital role in preservation and transmission of social values.

“Literacy is a bride from misery to hope. It is a tool for daily life in modern Society. It is a bulwark against poverty, and a building block of development, an essential complement to investments in roads, dams, clinics and factories. Literacy is a platform for democratization, and a vehicle for the promotion of cultural and national identity. Especially for girls and women, it is an agent of family health and nutrition. For everyone, everywhere, literacy is, finally, the road to human progress and the means through which every man, woman and child can realize his or her full potential.”14 – Kofi Annan

Education is the fourth necessity for man after food, clothing and shelter, in today’s competitive world. Education is a process of instruction which is aimed at the all round development of individuals and the provision of necessary tools and knowledge to understand and participate in day to day activities of today’s world. It forms the basis for lifelong learning and inspires individuals with the confidence to face challenges. It provides individuals with the skills to become more self reliant and enhances their ability to manage their health and nutrition related activities and to plan for the future. Education is also a fundamental requirement in a democracy. Through education people become more informed and responsible citizens, capable of exercising wise choices and finding their voice in politics. Allowing people to play more productive roles in society and to earn a better living is also essential to poverty eradication.

The importance of education in India is indeed rising. Although India has always been a reputed source of learning for many years, it still needs to improve not just on the quality of education but also on the number of people being educated. In India, many are deprived of education largely due to poverty and the inaccessibility of education services. Owing to a lack of education, children are forced into child labour and crime. The Indian education landscape saw significant developments during the 11th Plan after which there was a surge in school enrollments as well as a decrease in the gender and socio-economic disparities. Through expansion of school infrastructure and facilities access to schooling and incentives to attend school were significantly widened. Moreover, child entitlements such as textbooks, mid day meals and uniforms began to impact a considerably large number of children. The most significant development, however, was that Article 21-A, inserted in the Constitution of India through the Constitution (86th Amendment) Act, 2002 to make elementary education a fundamental right, and its consequential legislation, the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, became operative on 1st April 2010. This development has far reaching implications for elementary education in that it implies that every child has a right to elementary education of satisfactory and equitable quality in a formal school which satisfies certain essential norms and standards.

Tribals:

About 104 million people in India are members of Scheduled Tribes, which accounts for 8.6 % of India’s population (according to the 2011 census). The concentration lives in a belt along the Himalayas stretching through Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh in the west, to Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur, and Nagaland in the northeast. Another concentration lives in the hilly areas of central India (Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, and, to a lesser extent, Andhra Pradesh); in this belt, which is bounded by the Narmada River to the north and the Godavari River to the southeast, tribal peoples occupy the slopes of the region’s mountains. Other tribals, the Santals, live in Bihar and West Bengal. There are smaller numbers of tribal people in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala, in western India in Gujarat and Rajasthan, and in the union territories of Lakshadweep and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. [Source: Library of Congress, 1995].

Tribal people in India are called adivasi. Adivasi is an umbrella term for a heterogeneous set of ethnic and tribal groups considered the aboriginal population of India. Although terms such as atavika, vanavasi (“forest dwellers”), or girijan (“hill people”) are also used for the tribes of India, adivasi carries the specific meaning of being the original and autochthonous inhabitants of a given region and was specifically coined for that purpose in the 1930s. Over time, unlike the terms “aborigines” or “tribes”, the word “adivasi” has developed a connotation of past autonomy which was disrupted during the British colonial period in India and has not been restored.

Table 1.1: Total population of STs and proportion of STs in each state to the total state and national population

Source: Census of India, 2011. (Note: Excluding 3 Sub-divisions of Senapati District of Manipur)

Among the States and Union Territories, Lakshadweep ranks top with the highest proportion of ST population (within the state) of 94.8%, followed by Mizoram (94.4%), Nagaland (86.5%), Meghalaya (86.1%), and Arunachal Pradesh (68.8%). Uttar Pradesh stands last with the lowest proportion of ST population of 0.56%, followed by Tamil Nadu (1.1%), Bihar (1.28%), Kerala (1.45%), and Uttarakhand (2.89%).

Figure 1.1: Percentage of ST population to total state population

Table 1.2: Distribution of ST population by State

Regarding the distribution of ST population by States, Madhya Pradesh stands first with 14.7%, followed by Maharashtra (10.1%), Odisha (9.2%), Rajasthan (8.9%), Gujarat (8.6%), Jharkhand (8.3%), Chhattisgarh (7.5%), Andhra Pradesh (5.7%), West Bengal (5.1%), Karnataka (4.1%), Assam (3.7%), Meghalaya (2.5%), and the remaining States represent 11.6% of the tribal population. Proportion of ST population in the rural areas is 11.3% and in urban areas is 2.8%. More than half the Scheduled Tribe population is concentrated in the States of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Jharkhand and Gujarat.

Table 1.3: State-wise percentage of Scheduled Tribes to total population (rural and urban) and decadal growth-rate (2001-2011).

Source: Census of India, 2001 and 2011.

Table 1.4: State-wise Number of Scheduled Tribes

Source: http://tribal.nic.in/Content/scheduledtribes.aspx

http://censusindia.gov.in/Tables_Published/SCST/dh_st_Lakshadweep.pdf

Having gained a picture of the total tribal populations in each State of the country, the table below indicates the total number of tribal communities in the different States. As can be seen from the table, among the States, Odisha has the largest number of notified STs (62) followed by Karnataka (50), Maharashtra (45), Madhya Pradesh (43) and Chhattisgarh (42).  Sikkim has the least  with  four  tribes  followed  by Nagaland, Daman and Diu and Uttarakhand with five each. Among the South Indian States (without any Scheduled Areas), Karnataka has the largest number of Scheduled Tribes (50) followed by Tamil Nadu (36) and Kerala (36).

Tribal education in India:

 Article 15 (4) asserts that State will take developmental steps towards the socially and educationally backward classes and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The 86th Constitutional Amendment Act 2002 made education in India as a Fundamental Right for children in the age group of 6-14 years. Article 21 (A) asserts that the State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of six to fourteen years. Article 46- promotes educational and economic interests of Scheduled Tribes. In order to educational development of Scheduled Tribes Government of India has taken many steps and also introduced some developmental schemes.

• Pre-Matric Scholarship
• Post Matric Scholarship
• Vocational Training Centers
• Establishment of Hostels for ST boys and girls
• Establishment of Ashram Schools.
• Ekalavya Model Residential School (EMRS), a scheme of model residential school for Scheduled Tribes across India, was established by the Tribal Ministry, Government of India.
• Top Class Education scheme for ST students for pursuing their studies in (degree and post graduate level) in any of the 213 identified institution including IITs NITs, IIMs.
• Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship, under these tribal students are given fellowship for higher studies like M.Phil. or Ph.D. in India every year.

National overseas scholarship schemes

• Provides financial assistance to selected students for pursuing post-graduation, Ph.D. or post-doctoral study in abroad.
• There are 17 awards for scheduled tribe students and 3 awards for students who belong to particular vulnerable tribal group.
• Awards are given to the students whose total annual income along with family income does not exceed Rs. 6 lakhs.

Table 1.5: Literacy Trends for Scheduled Tribes in India from 1961 to 2011(In Percent)

From the above table it is clear that the percentage of literacy rate of tribes was only 8.54 % in 1961 and it has increased to 63.1 % in 2011. Male literacy rate which was 13.83% in 1961 it becomes 59.17% in 2001 and the rate has reached to 71.70% in 2011 but female literacy among tribes is only 34.76 % in 2001 and then it has increased to 54.4% compared to male literacy of 71.70%.

Education status of Madhya Pradesh

According to the 2011 census, Madhya Pradesh stood 24th in the country in literacy whereas in 2011 it has slipped to 28th position, same as in female literacy rate. The State literacy rate presently is 70.6 per cent (source: Census 2011), which is close to the national literacy rate of 74.04 per cent. While the female literacy has considerably improved over the last decade, a great disparity persists in the literacy rates of males (80.5per cent) and females (60per cent). Some blocks such as Alirajpur, (60per cent). Jobat (district Jhabua), Karahal (district Sheopur), Jhirniya (district Khargaon), Sendhwa (district Badwani), and Bajna (district Ratlam) have literacy rates below 35 per cent. The female literacy is below 20 per cent in two blocks i.e. Karahal (15.1per cent) of Sheopur district and Alirajpur (19.9per cent) of Alirajpur district.

Table 1.6: Status of literacy pertaining to different categories in the State

Sources: GOI, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Selected Educational Statistics 2011-12 and NSSO.

Tribal Education level in Madhya Pradesh

Without proper education, development of scheduled tribe is beyond imagination. There is large number of tribal groups in India. Each group has their own culture, social practice, dialects and occupations. They are considered as marginalized section of society. The term Scheduled Tribes first appeared in the Constitution of India. Article 366 (25) defined scheduled tribes as “such tribes or tribal communities or parts of or groups within such tribes or tribal communities as are deemed under Article 342 to be Scheduled Tribes for the purposes of this constitution”. There are over 500 tribes, notified under article 342 of the Constitution of India, are living in different States and Union Territories of the country. Article 46 of the constitution directs the state (both central and state government) to promote with special care for the educational, economical interest of the weaker section and specially tribes and to protect them from social justice and all forms of exploitation. Although Government of India have taken education initiatives but there is disparity among the states in terms of tribal literacy. The ST literacy rate continues to be below the national average. The educational gap between the scheduled tribes and the non-tribal is still there and the rate of improvement is very slow. Tribal students attend schools at a later age due to lack of proper guidance and opportunities. Education is important for their overall development.

There are 46 Scheduled Tribes in Madhya Pradesh. The population of Scheduled Tribe (ST) is 21.1% of the state population (15.31 million out of 72.62 million), according to the 2011 census. Tribal people are living in mainly forest and hilly area bounded by the Narmada River to the north and the Godavari River to the southeast. The main tribal groups in Madhya Prades are Gond, Bhil, Baiga, Korku, Bhariya, Halba, Kaul, Mariya, and Sahariya. As per Census of India 2011, Bhil is the biggest tribal group with a total population of 4,618,068, constituting 37.7 per cent of the total ST population. Gond is the second largest tribe, with a population of 4,357,918 constituting 35.6 per cent. The next four populous tribes are: Kol, Korku, Sahariya and Baiga. These six tribes constitute 92.2 per cent of the total ST population of the State. For earnings they depend upon agriculture & forest produce & local craft. They have different culture, different customs and different life style.

Figure 1.2: Literacy Rate of Scheduled Tribes of Madhya Pradesh: 2001 and 2011

                                    Source: Analytical Report on Primary Census Abstract, 2011                                   

Figure 1.3: Literacy Rates Gender wise among Scheduled Tribes of Madhya Pradesh (%)

Source: Census 2011, Ministry Of Tribal Affairs

In 2011 it was found that the literacy rate of ST in rural area is 49.3 % and in urban area 66.7 %; which is lower than national level. Female literacy rate is 41.5% and male literacy rate is 59.6%.  In the rural area, female literacy rate is 40.1% and male literacy rate is 58.4%. and in the urban areas male literacy rate is 74.0% which is higher than female literacy rate which is 59.2%. It makes clear that in rural and urban both areas female literacy rate is lower than male literacy.

Table 1.7: Divisions wise Literacy Rate of Scheduled Tribes (2001 and 2011)

Source: Analytical Report on Primary Census Abstract, 2011

Figure 1.4: Divisions wise Literacy Rate of Scheduled Tribes

Total, rural and urban literacy rates at division level is showing increasing trends from 2001 and 2011; but also the Gaps between the division and areas(Rural Urban).The highest total and rural literacy rates are observed in Jabalpur division (2001 & 2011) while lowest in Chambal division (2001) and Indore division (2011). The highest urban tribal literacy rates are observed in Narmadapuram (2001) and Jabalpur (2011) whereas lowest in Rewa division (2001 & 2011).The maximum gain in literacy rate during 2001-2011 has been recorded by Rewa division in total (14.4%), Chambal in rural (18.9%) and Shahdol in urban (13.2%).

Table 1.8: District wise consolidation of Total Schools as well as schools up to class 12^th:

Table 1.9: District wise total school available in Madhya Pradesh as per the category of school (1 to 11):

Table 1.11: Availability of Teachers in Madhya Pradesh by Qualification:

Table 1.10: Type of school Boys, Girls, Co-education

Table 1.11: Availability of school as per the Management

The state has witnessed a substantial increase in the number of primary and upper primary Schools in recent years. As per DISE Statistics of school education, 201112, in all 50 districts of MP there are a total of 1, 40, 993 schools of which 1, 1, 2079 are government-run and 27, 148 are privately run. These schools are managed by the government, Local Bodies, Private aided, and Private unaided managements. Out of 1, 40, 993 schools, 92, 053 are primary schools.

Objectives of the Study:

1. To review the literacy rate and educational status of the tribals intra- and inter – comparison with the Non-tribals on age, sex, Ethnic Group, block basis in selected Tribal districts of Madhya Pradesh.
2. To identify the problems and critical issues of low literacy from the point of view infrastructure, curriculum, support, level of instruction and so on in the tribals of Madhya Pradesh.
3. To give a recommendation for the advancement of the educational status and enhancement of literacy in the tribals of Madhya Pradesh.

Limitations of the Study:

1. A time limitation has been faced during the study.
2. During the period of study the Lok Saba elections going on that limited the access of teachers and students in the tribal areas for two months.
3. The targeted population is very low educated that consumes more time in the field survey.
4. Sampling methods has been approached.

Plan of the Presentation:

Chapter1: In this first part of the study the overall background, objectives, limitations, statement of research problem and presentation of the study has been given. The status of Madhya Pradesh educational, particularly tribals has also analyzed under this part of study.

Chapter 2:  Under this part of the study various studies has been reviewed and research gap has been found.

Chapter 3: Under this part of study the methodology, research plan, sample size, methods of data collation and data analysis has been given.

Chapter 4: Under this part of the study the social-economic profile of the respondents has been given. The occupational pattern of tribal and non-tribals has been analyzed. The Income gaps between tribal and non-tribals has been investigate district wise. The comparison of landholding between the groups and districts has portrayed. The access of electricity, TV and Radio between tribals and non-tribals and district level has been examined.

Chapter 5:  Under this part of study the dropout ration between the tribal and non-tribals has been scrutinized district wise. The income pattern and parental education   has been correlated with the dropout ratio under this part of study.

Chapter 6: Under this part of study the education infrastructure between districts and schools has been analyzed. The student- teacher ratio between the district and schools has been studied.  The gap between the actual and sanctioned post has been reviewed. The comparative study of the basic educational infrastructure like Library, Laboratory, Computer lab, drinking water, seminar hall, toilets etc has been done between the schools and districts under this part of study. The availability of play ground and physical teachers has been reviewed and examined between the schools and districts.

 Chapter 7: Under this part of the study the awareness level and educational process among tribal and non-tribal students between the districts and schools has been analyzed.  The involvement of tribal and non-tribal students in the co-curriculum activities between the schools and districts has been analyzed. The

Chapter 8:  Under this part of the study the major findings of the study has been interpreted and discussed according the objectives of the study.

Chapter 9: Under this part of the study the overall conclusion of the study has been drawn according the facts and figures collected through primary and secondary data.  The suggestions for the educational enhancement of educational system and progress in the tribal and rural areas have been given under the part of study.

Statement of the Problem:

India is a domicile of various types of indigenous people with diverse ethics, scheduled tribe (ST) population is one of them. Scheduled tribes are economically backward and marginalized section of society; 45.9% of ST members were falling in lowest wealth bracket according National Family Health Survey 2015-16. In Madhya Pradesh the tribal population accounts 21.1% total population; inhabited on hilly slopes and forested fringe areas. The socio-economic status of these tribals is very poor as compare to other section of society. ST has been trapped in the poverty that limited their growth socially and economically. Economics backwardness has widened a gap between the tribals and non-tribals in the level of education, health, clean water access and sanitation. The overall literacy rate of the state was 70.6 %(Male 76.1  and  Female 60.0 %); depicts the gender wise gaps. There are also literacy gaps in rural and urban areas at division level. The highest total and rural literacy rate is in Jabalpur division (2001 & 2011 census) while lowest in the Chambal division (2001 Census) and Indore division (2011 Census). The highest urban tribal literacy rates are in Narmadapuram (2001Cenus) and Jabalpur (2011Census) whereas lowest in the Rewa division (2001 Census & 2011 Census). The total ST literacy rate is 50.6% (male 59.6% and female 41.5%). the rural literacy rate is 49.3% (male 58.4% and female 40.1%) and in the urban areas the literacy rate is 66.7% (male 74.7% and female 59.2%). There is a dramatic difference in the between gender and area wise. Both male and female literacy is higher in the urban areas. These gaps are widening the social structure of the state.