Tribal Education in India – Reviewing the Progress and the Way Forward

Abstract

The present paper critically reviews various educational interventions and the resultant trends in the participation and learning outcomes in the domain of tribal education in India. A review of the existing policies on formal education suggests that there have not been clear-cut policy provisions for the education of tribal children aligning with their socio-cultural needs. They are often clubbed with other disadvantaged groups, wherein they are perceived as mere beneficiaries of various government schemes and incentives. Given the profound diversity of the tribal groups, a ‘one size fits all’ approach may not work, which obliterates their identity and blurs the cultural differences. The interventions too have primarily focused on their assimilation with the mainstream society than towards inclusion. The paper also discusses various forms of exclusion and marginalization of tribal children in schools and delineates possible pathways for building more inclusive and democratic educational ecosystems.