Back to: Sociological Foundations of Education B.ed Notes, M.A Notes, IGNOU Notes

Policies and Programmes of Government to Improve Educational Opportunities for Disadvantaged Groups with Special Reference to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Women and Rural Population

Education for the Economically and Socially Disadvantaged Groups in India with Special Reference to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Women and Rural Population

Disadvantaged groups of society

The overall purpose of inclusive growth has been to empower all members of society to participate in the implementation movement. All people must have equal access to the benefits of progress, as well as equal chances for economic and social advancement.

Although India has made significant progress, the aim of achieving performance outcomes has yet to be achieved by everybody. Several demographic groups are still prejudiced against, both culturally and financially, and are unable to fully participate in the implementation movement and reap its advantages. These groups are known as “disadvantage groups.”

Some of these groups are: Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), and women.

What are the challenges faced by the tribal community?

Education is among the most essential factors of change in the direction of growth. Education is, in reality, an element not only for tribal economic growth, but also for tribal populations’ inner strength, which aids them in overcoming new life obstacles.

• Language has been the most significant stumbling block in indigenous education. Most of the coursework and instructor modules are written in a dominant language that tribal students do not understand.
• Tribal people’s economic situation is so bad that they don’t want to risk their kids or their working population by sending them to school.
•  In isolated tribal communities, teacher absenteeism is a common occurrence, and it has a significant impact on educational effectiveness.
•  Because schooling does not provide an immediate financial benefit, tribal parents prefer to place their kids in financially rewarding work that complements the income of the family.
• The majority of schools in tribal communities have a rudimentary infrastructure. These institutions are not supplied with instructional materials, learning resources, or perhaps even the bare minimum of hygienic standards.

How to improve tribal education?

There are some implications to take into account for providing tribal education:

• A proper awareness program should be established to raise awareness about the benefits of schooling. To educate the tribal, a large-scale literacy campaign in tribal-dominated regions may be implemented as a priority.
• Through effective counselling and coaching, indigenous parents’ attitudes about schooling should be changed.
• All learning materials should be provided in the tribes’ native languages.
• More indigenous teachers, particularly female teachers, should be appointed in tribal communities. Instructors in tribal communities should take into account the environmental, cultural, and psychological features of tribal children.
• Because tribal kids are underrepresented in higher education, specific ST scholarships should be offered to tribal students pursuing higher education, especially in the medical, engineering, and other vocational fields.
• More educational institutes should be constructed in each state and district, with tribal regions getting up to the PG level.

What is the backwardness faced by women in terms of education?

Manu, who lived around 200 BC, is credited with inventing the Indian concept of proper female behavior, “by a young girl, by a young woman, or even by an aged one, nothing must be done independently, even in her own house.”

Women account for about half of the country’s population. Women’s education is the most effective strategy to enhance a household’s health, nourishment, and economic condition, which is a micro-unit of a nation’s economy. From this perspective, it is possible to claim that a lack of female education is a barrier to the country’s economic progress.

Women in India receive less schooling than males. According to the 2001 Census data, women have an educational attainment of 54.16 percent and males have a literacy rate of 65.38 percent. Both the administration and non-governmental groups have made earnest efforts to promote women’s educational achievement. Changes in policies and supporting infrastructure for elementary, intermediate, and educational colleges reflect the Government of India’s initiatives in the area of women’s education.

What are the reasons for gender inequality in education?

1. Socio-economic factors: Poverty is one of the biggest issues stopping Indian children from receiving an education. When a family’s financial situation deteriorates, girls are yanked out of school while boys are left behind. Similarly, once women have reached the age of maturity, they are regarded as ready for marriage, and they are pulled out of school to increase the family’s monetary profit through marketing, agriculture, or other money-making activities.
2. Socio-cultural factors: In both western and Indian civilizations, socio-cultural practices appear to be an important reversal in girls’ access to education. This appears to be heavily impacted by Dad’s thoughts. This has an impact on the calls made in families about academic problems, with boys outnumbering girls. Early marriage is encouraged or imposed upon girls, either to protect them from premarital motherhood, which is considered disgraceful and illegitimate in most Indian communities or to reduce family financial costs.
3. Low motivation among girls: Motivation is essential for improving instructional effectiveness and ensuring gender equality in educational access. According to several studies, whereas aggressive conduct is encouraged and encouraged in guys, submissive behaviour is encouraged and encouraged in girls. Women are known to do household activities for faculty members at school, such as collecting water, perpetuating gender stereotypes and detracting from instructional time. Similarly, a dearth of female role models in the classroom can be seen as a major impediment to women’s education knowledge. The lack of female professors caused many girls to feel inferior and to pay less attention to academics to attain better results.
4. Violence against women and girl child: The United Nations defines “violence against women” as an act of gender-based violence that causes or is likely to cause physical, intimate, or emotional pain or suffering to women, as well as intimidation, such as arbitrarily defined unlawful restraint, whether publicly or privately, and is linked to exploitation. Several studies have found that violence towards females may be a barrier to obtaining an education. According to several studies, high school females are subjected to sexual assault and harassment at school, which is frequently committed by instructors.
5.  Parental Education: Educated parents, who are frequently from upper-middle-class or upper-middle-class households, are more concerned about their children’s academic achievement, either by instructing them in the subjects in which they fared badly or by employing lesson instructors to further enlighten them. These students are less likely to drop out of school. In rural communities, for instance, a lack of knowledge among the elderly may be a significant barrier. Parents can choose whether or not to educate their daughters, depending on their educational levels. 
6. Unemployment: Parents may sometimes be hesitant to send their girls to school due to a perceived lack of career options for girls.

We are all aware of the significance of women’s education. Every educated individual, as well as the administration, should participate in the fight against illiteracy.