Education of Tribal Children

1. Education of Tribal Children Consultation with State Secretaries of Tribal Development 3rd December 2012

2. The present scenario

3. The present situation • STs constitute 8.1% of the population (Census 2001). • In absolute terms: 84.3 million people, classified under approximately 600 different communities. • Spread over the entire country, but mostly concentrated in central, eastern and north-eastern India; • 75 districts record more than 50% tribal population; • 41 districts in NER; remaining districts concentrated in CG, GJ, JH, MP and OR • Large tribal populations also in RJ and MH • Denotified, Nomadic and Semi Nomadic Tribes not counted.

4. Education scenario of tribal children • Low literacy: 64.8% overall; 47% for ST (Gap of 17%) • Very low female literacy (34.76%) • 26% gender gap in literacy • GER at elementary stage in proportion to ST population: • 11.4% at primary • 9.9% at upper primary • But high GER points to large presence of over-age children, vulnerable to dropout. • Access inhibited by difficult terrain, sparsely populated habitations, civil strife/ insurgency • GER at secondary stage continues to cause concern: • Classes IX-X: 53.3% • Classes XI-XII: 28.8%

5. Education scenario of tribal children • ‘Home’ language being different from standardised school language leads to: • Poor attendance at all stages • High dropout rates: 35% at primary and 55% at elementary • Low learning levels • Sufficient research to show that ‘Home’ language as medium of instruction enhances self esteem and reduces dropout • Efforts at introducing MLE are sporadic and limited to few States • Good initiatives in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh • ‘Tribals-only’ schools lead to continued exclusion and ghettoisation of tribal children • Deficient teacher deployment, and erratic attendance

6. Policy Frame

7. National Policy on Education, 1986/92 • Priority to opening primary schools in tribal areas. • Distinct socio-cultural milieu of STs underlines need to develop curricula and devise instructional material in tribal languages at the initial stages, with arrangements for switching over to the regional language. • Curriculum at all stages will be designed to create an awareness of the rich cultural identity and enormous creative talent of tribal people . • Educated and promising ST youth will be encouraged and trained to take up teaching in tribal areas.

8. National Policy on Education, 1986/92 • Residential schools, including Ashram Schools, will be established on large scale. • Incentive schemes will be formulated for the STs, keeping in view their special needs and life styles. • Scholarships for higher education will emphasise technical, professional and para-professional courses. • Anganwadis, Non-formal and Adult Education Centres will be opened on priority basis in areas predominantly inhabited by the STs.

9. Provisions of RTE Act • Onus on State to provide free and compulsory education to every child • Child rights include admission, attendance and completion of elementary education; RTE prohibits • Detention • Expulsion • Corporal punishment • Screening for admission • Schooling as per State neighbourhood norms; differential neighbourhood norms possible

10. Provisions of RTE Act • Special Training for out-of-school/ drop out children to cope with mainstream schooling • Provision for teaching in the mother tongue as far as is practicable • ST children included in ‘disadvantaged group’: • No child belonging to disadvantaged group to be discriminated against or prevented from pursuing and completing elementary education • Provision for admission in unaided schools in class I

11. RTE-SSA Framework • Equity means: • Equal opportunity • Creation of conditions in which the disadvantaged sections of the society can avail of the opportunity. • Access means: • Ensuring that a school becomes accessible to all children within specified distance • Understanding of the educational needs and predicament of the traditionally excluded categories.

12. RTE-SSA Framework • Gender concern means: • Enabling girls to keep pace with boys • Viewing education as a decisive intervention to bring about a basic change in the status of women • Holistic view of education means: • Systemic revamp of the entire content and process of education • Has significant implications for: • Curriculum, syllabi and text books • Teacher education and training • Evaluation and assessment • Educational planning and management

13. Existing Programmes/ Schemes for Education of Tribal Children

14. Existing schemes of MoTA for education

15. Existing schemes of MoTA for education

16. MHRD Interventions at Elementary Level SSA and MDM

17. MHRD Interventions at Elementary Level SSA and MDM

18. MHRD Interventions at Secondary Level

19. MHRD Interventions for Vocational Education • Scheme for vocationalising Higher Secondary education: • Support for vocational teachers, vocational coordinators, guest lecturers, lab assistants, secretarial staff, construction of classrooms, labs, repair, office equipment etc. • National Vocational Education Qualification Framework formulated • Pilot for introduction of vocational education from class IX • Link with industry/sector: • Sector Skill Councils for Retail, Automotive, Security, and IT &ITES • They determine National Occupation Standards • Play a significant role in curriculum formulation, text book preparation, teacher training etc.

20. Budgets: 11th Plan, Annual Plan 2012-13 Rs. in Crore Eklavya Model Residential Schools are part of grants under Article 275(1).

21. Budgets: 11th Plan, Annual Plan 2012-13 Rs. in Crore

22. Strengths and Weaknessesof MoTA schemes Education of Tribal Children (5 schemes) • Provide focus to education of tribal children • But, limited outlays, and • Little convergence • Among MoTA schemes • With MHRD programmes • Between State Tribal Welfare and School Education Deptts • Duplication of schemes of line Ministries • Lack of technical support for Plan Appraisal, Management, Monitoring, Supervision and Evaluation

23. Strengths and Weaknessesof MoTA Schemes Scholarships (5 schemes) • Outlays, both severally and jointly, too small for any visible impact • Four scholarship schemes cover HE; large numbers of tribal children drop out before this stage • Funds released at different points of time; each scheme requires separate and time consuming procedures and formalities • No assurance of continuity of scholarship as child progresses to higher stages

24. Rationale and Proposed Architecture of Umbrella Schemes

25. Rationale for Umbrella Schemes for education of tribal children • Need to revisit the balance of investment between elementary, secondary and higher education • Opportunity to: • Rationalise multiple schemes to streamline management • Improve monitoring and reduce administrative costs • Institutionalise systems of financial discipline • Optimise use of funds available for education in MoTA • Priority to areas of tribal concentration and PTGs; Applicability to • 667 EBBs with high tribal population; low female literacy • Primitive Tribal Groups • Need to increase convergence with line Ministries/ State Deptts.

26. Broad Structure of Umbrella Schemes • Existing multiple schemes to be subsumed under two Umbrella Schemes for: • Education of Tribal Children (excluding EMRS Scheme) • Scholarships (excluding National Overseas Scholarship Scheme) • Factor in interventions under MHRD/other Ministries • Available resources to be used for critical gap filling towards the broad goals of Access, Equity, Quality • Funds under Umbrella Schemes not to replace State funding • Institute systems for time bound Plan formulation, appraisal and approval • Earmarked funds for Management, Monitoring, Supervision, Evaluation and Research

27. Proposed Components of Umbrella Scheme for Education of Tribal Children • Critical gap filling for interventions not supported by MHRD • EMRS outside the purview of Umbrella Scheme

28. Proposed Components of Umbrella Scheme for Education of Tribal Children

29. Proposed Components of Umbrella Scheme for Education of Tribal Children

30. Proposed Components of Umbrella Scheme for Scholarships for ST Students • One-time identification based on parental income of Rs 2 lakh per annum • Assured continuity of scholarship as long as: • Child remains in the education system, even if child repeats a class for one year • Has 80% attendance • Should incentivise more children to remain longer in the education system • Should commence at class IX, and continue till post doctoral level

31. Proposed Components of Umbrella Scheme for Scholarships for ST Students • Should be inclusive in terms of its applicability to courses; too many exceptions create confusion • Increasing rates of scholarships for progressive stages of education, and different courses. • Need for a comprehensive data base, including Aadhar IDs, to facilitate Cash Transfers • Need for greater synchrony with scholarship schemes of other Ministries/Departments • National Overseas Scholarship to be outside the purview of umbrella scheme

32. Management, Monitoring and Financial Discipline • Development of Framework(s) of Implementation and Manual of Financial Management & Procurement • Time bound process of: • Annual Plan Development at district level, consolidated at State level • Internal Appraisal by TSG-type group at the National level • Approval by specially constituted committee, chaired by Secretary, MoTA, and comprising concerned Central Ministries, State Governments, Resource Institutions for education and tribal development, CSOs • Plan formulation, appraisal and approval processes to be completed by May each year

33. Management, Monitoring and Financial Discipline • Centre-State Fund Sharing in 90:10 ratio • 6% of the overall outlay to be earmarked for Management, Monitoring, Supervision, Evaluation and Research • Funds to flow through State Exchequer: • 1st installment (60%): 25% of previous year’s releases as ad hoc grant in April each year, followed by balance release on approval of Annual Plan • 2nd installment (40%): On submission of required Ucs / Statement of Accounts • Monitoring through periodic National Review Missions and Concurrent Evaluation by reputed Institutions

34. Thank You