Tribal Education in Rajasthan

Abstract

India has the single largest tribal population in the world, constituting 8.6% of the total population of the country (more than 10.2 crores) (Census of India, 2011). Education plays an important role in the empowerment of an individual. The Constitution of India, in Article 46, commands that ‘State shall promote the educational interests of the weaker sections of the people with special care, particularly SC/STs’. However, the literacy rate of Scheduled Tribes (STs) in India is still below the expected levels. According to 2011 Census, the gap in literacy rates between India’s total population (72.99%) and ST population (58.96%) is as high as 14.3%. However, the target-based approach of the government for the tribal population has not yielded minimum results. It is imperative to examine the reasons for the educational backwardness of tribal population and discuss the issues of access and equality to STs from a policy perspective. The analysis is based on secondary data. The chapter attempts to find out the role of the state in the provision of education to STs, analyze various plans and policies for their educational development, and examine challenges to the attainment of educational goals for STs.