Inadequate facilities take education out of reach of tribals

Updated on: Friday, July 29, 2011

A research study on 'Educational backwardness of the district', jointly conducted by UNICEF and the District Institute of Education and Training (DIET), found that tribal people continued to be the most educationally backward followed by linguistic minorities and farmers.

The study said “only one per cent of tribal parents had a clear view about the future of their children.” Parents with Plus Two or higher qualification in tribal families constituted four per cent and 38 per cent were illiterates or with lower primary education.

Only one per cent of tribal parents had permanent employment and 52 per cent families earned their living from temporary jobs such as manual labourers.

Sixty-four per cent tribal students walked more than one kilometre and 24 per cent five to 10 km to reach school.

“Infrastructure facilities of tribal people were very low and 19 per cent of families lived in temporary habitats where electricity, road and other facilities were not available. Eight per cent of tribal houses lacked toilets and 60 per cent were not maintaining or using toilets properly,” the study noted.

Liquor consumption

“Although Attappady was a liquor-banned area, 84 per cent of tribal people, including women (18 per cent), consumed liquor. Fifty-four per cent were addicted to liquor.”

People addicted to liquor, tobacco and pan products together accounted for 51 per cent and only five per cent of the tribal population did not consume liquor.

Linguistic minorities

Fifty-one per cent of linguistic minorities in the district lived in “very limited physical facilities, of which 17 per cent were in a pitiful and pathetic condition. The poor physical conditions of the area adversely affected the academic achievements of the children. Forty-five per cent of the children belonging to this area did not have reasonable learning facilities at home. Availability of facilities such as special room, table, chair, shelf and electricity was a dream even today. This adversely affected the quality and pace of academic achievement.

The study pointed out that “effort and strain to reach school were factors making schooling less effective. Twenty-five per cent of children belonged to this category that walks a distance of 3 km to 8 km to reach school.”

Agriculture area

The study found that agriculture areas in the district also remained most backward as far as education of children was concerned. Thirty per cent of students did not have adequate infrastructure facilities at home. Seventy-nine per cent students reached schools by travelling more than two km from their house. Only 22 per cent received considerable support from the family. Eighty-five per cent of the families did not maintain a desirable healthy relationship with the child.

The report found that the majority of the parents – 61 per cent – were addicted to either alcohol or tobacco.

Inadequate facilities take education out of reach of tribals

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