16-01-2013, 04:27 PM
An Analysis of Tribal Women’s Education in India
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Abstract
Education system should make an individual better
suited to the needs of the ever changing dynamic world. The
changes in the educational system should also reduce the social
gaps by enabling proper recognition to whatever extent one is
able to pursue or acquire a skill. The tribal community all
over India have been subjected to various forms of deprivation
such as alienation from land and other resources. Especially
the tribal women though they are away from the main stream
of national life, but they are not kept away from the impact of
socio – economic changes effecting the society in general. In
this process of change, the tribal woman is forced to adhere to
certain norms which may even take away her freedom, her
control over the traditional productive system, her house,
family and children and even her own life. The fact remains
that a large number of tribal women have missed education at
different stages and in order to empower them there is a great
need of providing opportunities so as to enable them to assume
leadership qualities for economic self-reliance and even social
transformation. It is often alleged that the level of aspiration of
these women as a group is low and they are quite satisfied with
what they are and with what they have.
INTRODUCTION
Educational backwardness is a distinct gender
dimension. An education system should provide a new
culture of work ethos and an array of young talented, skilled
and well equipped target group who will be able to shoulder
the developmental responsibilities. It should make an
individual better suited to the needs of the ever changing
dynamic world. The structuring or restructuring of
educational system should also contribute to reduce the
social gaps by enabling proper recognition to whatever
extent one is able to pursue or acquire a skill.
At this juncture it is pertinent to quote Prof.
Harbion of Princeton University. He rightly observes that,
“Human resources constitute the ultimate basis for wealth of
Nations. Clearly a country which is unable to develop the
skills and knowledge of its people and to utilise them
efficiently in the national economy, will be unable to develop
anything else”.
METHODOLOGY
The data for the present study have been gleaned
from various sources which have been duly acknowledged.
Information on Women’s Studies enrolment at different
levels of University and professional Colleges was obtained
through the reports of the University Grants Commission,
New Delhi, Census of India, 2001 and the Report on
Selected Educational Statistics, Published by the Statistics
Division, Ministry of Human Resource Development,
Government of India, New Delhi, 2007.
OBSERVATION AND DATA ANALYSIS
The data thus collected was analyzed, tabulated and
presented in the following pages.
The tribal community all over India has been subjected
to various forms of deprivation such as, alienation from land
and other forest resources since the British rule. Women by
nature have, greater ability to organise people, resources and
work. They have greater perseverance adaptability and
attitude for discipline and cleanliness. To utilise their
creativity, adaptive and organizational ability and to motivate
them to participate in education, development of their own
group is actually required.
A tribal woman occupies an important place in the
socio-economic and political structure of her society. They
exercise free and firm hand in all aspects related to their
social and economic life. But it is still important to
emphasize that the tribal woman is in herself exactly the
same as any other woman with the same passion, love and
fears, the same devotion to the home, to husband and to
children. The same faults and the same virtues. Though the
tribal women are away from the main stream of national life,
but they are not kept away from the impact of socioeconomic
changes effecting the neighborhood or society in
general. In the process of change, the tribal woman is forced
to adhere to certain norms which may even take away her
freedom, her control over the traditional productive system,
her house, family and children and even her own life. The
process of such alienation has an impact on the tribal women.
EDUCATIONAL STATUS OF TRIBAL WOMEN
In this context, the scenario of education amongst
tribal women who are considered most backward needs to be
examined. Taking only the parameter of literacy percentage
at face value, the ‘backwardness’ of tribal women appears to
be true. Table - 1 gives a comparative picture of literacy rates
in the last two decades and shown the gapping difference
between general literacy in the country, amongst STs (both
males and females).
CONCLUSION
Education to women is as essential as to men. It
makes women to find the right way to development. Even
today in most parts of the country, the tribal women remains
steeped in superstitions and ignorance with men presiding
over their destiny. The main aim of education is to change
the cultural norms and patterns of life of tribal women to
make them economically independent, to organise
themselves to form strong groups so as to analyse their
situations and conditions of living, understand their rights
and responsibilities and to enable them to participate and
contribute to the development of women and the entire
society. The population of STs is very high in some states
and in some states there are no STs. With regard to the
literacy rates, female literacy has raised considerably in the
past four decades both in urban as well as rural areas.
Moreover the percentage of Schedule Tribe girls in higher
education has been gradually increasing.