Tribal Youth and Development of Education through Seasonal Schools for Migratory Nomads of Jammu and Kashmir
Bushra Ashraf Punjabi Department of Sociology , Jamia Millia Islamia , New Delhi , India
Abstract
While all people have a right to education, it is especially urgent for the tens of millions of children who are backward, socially and economically. Without safe, quality education, and the long-term corollary benefits of greater social, economic and political stability, the risk of a lifetime of poverty and misery multiplies dramatically. The overall literacy rate of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, as per census 2011, is 68.7 per cent. Again, as per census 2001, the literacy level of STs is 37.5 per cent, which is quite low. The male and female literacy levels stand at 48.2 and 25.5 per cent, respectively, which show that the literacy level among females is abysmally low. While the figures depict the education backwardness in the tribes in general, however, it also depicts the gender disparity in education, in particular. Although special provisions in the form of reservations in higher education and jobs have been made, the higher drop-out ratio and skimpy enrolment at the primary and middle school stages makes reservations kind of unproductive. Since education is the significant tool of social transformation, particularly of young minds, this paper, therefore evaluates the efforts made by the government of Jammu and Kashmir in providing the educational facilities to the nomadic children. The paper aims to highlight the effectiveness of Mobile Primary Schools in providing education to the transitory community.
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While all people have a right to education, it is especially urgent for the tens of millions of children who are backward, socially and economically. Without safe, quality education, and the long-term corollary benefits of greater social, economic and political stability, the risk of a lifetime of poverty and misery multiplies dramatically. The overall literacy rate of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, as per census 2011, is 68.7 per cent. Again, as per census 2001, the literacy level of STs is 37.5 per cent, which is quite low. The male and female literacy levels stand at 48.2 and 25.5 per cent, respectively, which show that the literacy level among females is abysmally low. While the figures depict the education backwardness in the tribes in general, however, it also depicts the gender disparity in education, in particular. Although special provisions in the form of reservations in higher education and jobs have been made, the higher drop-out ratio and skimpy enrolment at the primary and middle school stages makes reservations kind of unproductive. Since education is the significant tool of social transformation, particularly of young minds, this paper, therefore evaluates the efforts made by the government of Jammu and Kashmir in providing the educational facilities to the nomadic children. The paper aims to highlight the effectiveness of Mobile Primary Schools in providing education to the transitory community.