CHAPTER-I

THE PROBLEM

CHAPTER-I

THE PROBLEM

1.1 Introduction

1.2 Tribes of India

1.3 Government’s plan to benefit tribes

1.4 Factors affecting tribal education

1.5 Tribes in Chhattisgarh

1.6 Learning environment

1.7 Adjustment

1.8 Attitude

1.9 Importance of the study

1.10 Chapter outline

THE PROBLEM

CHAPTER – I

THE PROBLEM

1.1 Introduction

In a country marked by a spaghetti bowl of languages, castes, ideas, cementing

indigenous values while embracing modernity is a progressive phenomenon. Within

the context of the education of marginalized communities such as tribals, a fine

balance between these two ends of the spectrum is necessary to yield results that have

an impact, are sustainable and underpin a holistic education effort.

Education as a means of advancement of capacity, well-being and opportunity

is uncontested and more so among communities on the periphery. Marked

improvements in access and to some extent in quality of primary education in tribal

areas have occurred and stem from government and non-government initiatives.

However, the number of out-of-school children continues to be several millions,

mainly due to lack of interest and parental motivation, inability to understand the

medium of instruction, teacher absenteeism and attitude, opportunity, cost of time

spent in school, large seasonal migration etc. Low literacy rates in tribal communities

continue to indicate a need for overarching support that tackles issues from health to

attitudes of non-tribal populations. India is an agro-rural society. Approximately 74%

of people live in villages depending on agriculture for their living. People are largely

tradition-bounded, showing resistance to change, more so in rural and tribal area.

The tribal‟s are, by and large the children of nature, their life style being

conditioned by their Eco-system. At present there are approximately more than 200

million tribal people, which is roughly 4.5 percent of the global population. They are

found in all region of the world. India has the largest concentration of tribal people

than anywhere in the world except Africa. The tribal‟s constitute an important

segment of the Indian society. The population of schedule tribe in our country stands

more than 9% of the total population (2001 census). They are spread over all the

states except Punjab and Haryana and over all union territories. A bulk of tribal

population is found in Eastern India, especially in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya

Pradesh, Orissa and Assam. Area inhabited by tribal‟s constitutes a significant part of

the backward areas of the country. An overwhelming majority of tribal communities

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THE PROBLEM

in our country have been living in remote and exclusive area in the thick forests, on

hill slopes and plateaus and generally in areas with poor natural resources. This

natural isolation has deprived them of the fruits of scientific and technological

advances on one side and it has led to their distinctive life style, cultures and

languages on the other side.

The Indian constitution aims at promotion of welfare of people as a means to

the establishment of a social order.

Article 17 – Says the abolition of untouchability.

Article 29 (c) prohibited discrimination in government aided educational institutions.

Article 38 – The state shall strive to promote the welfare of the people by securing

and protecting as effectively as it may, a social order in which justice social,

economic and political, shall inform all the institutions of country.

Article 46 – The state promote with special care the education and economic interests

of the weaker sections of the people and in particular, of the SC & ST and shall

protect them from social injustice and all forms of exploitation.

1.2 Tribes in India

The tribal‟s in our country known as adivasis in Indian context, Tribe-

basically a politicoadministrative category had hardly retained any of its socio-

cultural characteristics. These people live in dense forest and are generally cut off

from civilized world, hence they have limited contacts with other societies. They are

backward because of their living pattern but these days coming generation of tribes

want to come and live with the main stream society for which government have

special facilities and aids which can help them to do so.

At the same time the parents of such children don‟t want them to change their

living pattern and also which is economically very difficult for them.

Traditionally referred to as adivasis, tribes or tribals ,scheduled tribes (STs)

constitute about 9% of India‟s population. Despite diversity in their community

history, language and relationships with the non-tribal world, approximately 87

million Indians fall under the adivasi population of which are nomadic and Denotified

Communities (DNTs). This is a government assigned category for nomadic

communities.

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THE PROBLEM

However, the largest proportion of tribal people in total population is in

Mizoram (95%), followed by Lakshadweep (93%), Nagaland (88%), Meghalaya

(86%) and Arunachal Pradesh (64%). Nine states – Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh,

Orrisa, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal

together account for more than four-fifth of the tribal population in India.

The tribes are slightly over 8.4 crores as per the 2001 as per the 2001 census,

constituting 9% of the total population of the country. At that time 91.7% of them

lived in rural areas and 8.3% lived in urban areas. Their sex ratio was 978, much

higher than the national average of 933. (Selected Educational Statistics 2001-

2002). They are concentrated in the central and north eastern Indian states. Due to

vast difference between them in terms of their language, culture, socio-political set-

up, habitat in hills and forests make inter-communication difficult. It would therefore

an injustice to regard about 300 tribal communities in the country as a uniform mass.

1.3 Government’s Plan To Benefit Tribes

Education of tribals was an important issue before the Government of India.

The constitution had recognized the significance of education for social and economic

upliftment of tribal people. Article 46 of the constitution considered promotion of

education and economic interests of scheduled tribes.

The state of Chhattisgarh in survey statistics of population (census 2001)

stated the Scheduled Tribes as 31.76% out of the total population of the state to be

2.07crore.

Considering education as a major tool to change the condition of tribal,

government offered many support and facilities to tribal since 1951. It included

scholarship, reservation of seat in schools and colleges, mid-day meal, cycle to girl

students, dress to all students, provision of stipends and special scholarships, remedial

teaching for tribal students who joined IIT, AIIMS, IAS, Bank and other services,

exams etc.

Many departments have been setup to fulfil the aim of government, such as

Tribal Welfare Department (TWD). Also different positions holders such as

Commissioner Tribal Department (CTD), Assistant Commissioner Tribal Department

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THE PROBLEM

(ACTD) and Block Education Officer (BEO) are responsible for proper execution of

schemes floated by government.

Special grants were sanctioned under article 275 of the Constitution and

special cells were created for the realization of these aims. For reservation of Seats in

Educational Institution, the Ministry of Education had directed all the state

governments to reserve 7.5% seats for Tribal. 5% reduction of marks to pass the

qualifying examination should also be allowed to them. If there is a maximum age

limit, it might be raised by 3 years for Tribal students.

1.4 Factors affecting tribal Education

Attitude of Other Students: Attitude of other student is one of the important

factors for the promotion of tribal students in higher education i.e. environmental

factor is one of the crucial factors for the development. The negative attitude

which is reflected in university and other higher educational centre mainly located

in big cities.

Social factors: More allocation of funds and opening of schools do not go far in

providing education to the tribal‟s. Formal education has not been necessary for

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THE PROBLEM

the members of tribal societies to discharge their social obligations. Hence they

should be prepared to accept education and it should be presented to them in such

a way as to cut the barriers of superstition and prejudice. There is still a wide

spread feeling among the tribal‟s that education makes their boys defiant and

insolent and alienates them from the rest of their society, while the girls turn

modern or go astray.

Economic Factors: Some economic factors too are responsible for lack of interest

shown by the tribal people in getting education since most of the tribal people are

living in poverty, it is not easy for most of them to send their children to schools.

Lack of interest in Formal Education: In many states tribal children are taught

through the same books from which the non-tribal children of the urban and rural

areas of the rest of the state are taught. Obviously, the content of such books

rarely appeals to the tribal children who come from different cultural back

grounds. Under the traditional tribal set up a child enters adulthood with

confidence. He knows his environment thoroughly, knows how to construct his

own house, cultivate his field, weave his cloth, in short he acquires all the skills to

lead a reasonably comfortable life within the limitations of his culture. The simple

skill of reading and writing acquire in an over formal school is no match for this.

We as scheme is to be worked out through which the school children will be able

to link up the school and the teacher with their parents and the tribal activities.

Suitable Teachers: Most of the teachers employed for importing education to the

tribal children show little appreciation of tribal way of life and value system. They

approach tribal people with a sense of superiority and treat them as savage and

uncivilised and hence fail to establish proper rapport with their students. Actually

the gulf between teachers and taught can be best reduced by appointing teachers

from the tribal community itself or separate cadre of teachers for tribal areas, with

some inducements, should be created to serve the educational needs of the tribal

society. (Vaidyanathan and Nair, 2001)

Lack of Facilities: One of the major problems in tribal education is that of

language. Most of the tribal languages and dialects are in the most rudimentary

stages and there is hardly any written literature. Most of the states import

education to tribal and non-tribal children alike through the medium of the

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THE PROBLEM

regional language, which makes the education uninteresting and also hurts tribal

sentiments.

Nature of habitat: Most of the tribal villages are scattered. This entails long

travels to attend schools unless the school situated very close to their villages and

its site approved by the local people the result shall not be encouraging. School

building also plays an important role in his growth of education among the tribal

folk. Tribal students had additional disadvantages arising out of social and

location factor. (Sujatha, 1998).

Number of teachers: Most of the primary schools run in the tribal areas are

“Single teacher – managed whose presence in the school is more an exception

than a rule.”

Environment of family: Surrounding or environment is one of the important

factors that influence for the development of a person generally and particularly in

educational development. Most of the tribal parents are agriculturists and laborers

they have little knowledge relating to modern world and modern environment.

Their environment narrows that created narrow mentality. And most of tribal

fathers are addicts to alcoholic and other beverage items that are creating some

problem mentally and economically and result students will fail exams. Children

helping parents in their work is a social norm in many tribal community. Girls,

apart from taking part in agricultural activities and collection of forest products

are commonly engaged in sibling care. (Jha and Jhingran, 2002)

Communication: Communication is one of the key factor affecting the

development of tribal education. Due to isolation tribal are facing problem for

expressing modern and regional languages. For understanding tribal language

which is very difficult generally in the case of society and particularly in teachers,

because of which students are facing problem for discussing their doubts with

teachers. So their doubt continuing and automatically tribal students became the

last in the class.

Cooperation from Stake Holders: Cooperation is essentials for promoting

education in the case of tribal students. Their funds are flowing in number of

persons hand and at last that amount will go to students hand. The delay of funds

creating problem, so the respective authorities need to be responsible for

providing funds at right time at right hand.

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THE PROBLEM

1.5 Tribes in Chhattisgarh

In the year 2001 a geographical change took place in the map of India and

that was the formation of a new state Chhattisgarh which was carved out of Madhya

Pradesh. Though the state was newly formed but the people were old residents of the

place so the situations were also the same. There was a great challenge for the

government of this newly formed state to plan and execute the development

programs. Keeping aside all the things the other major issue was a large number of

Tribes in the state who were far backward in comparison to others.

Tribal‟s are described as “Indigenous people.” The Indian society never

accepted tribal‟s as the people among themselves they were treated badly and were

never allowed to come in mainstream of society. In Chhattisgarh there are many types

of Tribes among which the major strength are of Gonda which is the largest found

Tribes in Chhattisgarh which is 55.07% of the total Tribes.

Table 1.1

Percentage of tribal society in Chattisgarh (2001)

S.No. Name of Tribes Percent

1 Gonda 55.07

2 Halba 04.74

3 Bhatra 2.51.

4 Sawra 02.01

5 Urav 02.01

6 Manghi 02.00 7 Binswar 1.72

8 Maria/Bhumia 1.58

Baiga, Agariya, Maina, Dhawar, Korwa Kodku, Nageshiya, Kamar, Kawar,

Manghwar, Munghia, Khariya, Muda these sub tribal groups are having less than 1%

population of Chhattisgarh.

The main need for the development of tribes is their educational improvement.

This is experienced that this society after attaining education are able to find their way

of development. In this reference, government has paid attention towards education

development programmes for progress and development of tribes. Government has

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THE PROBLEM

Map 1 : LOCATION MAP

Chhattisgarh

INDIA

THE PROBLEM

decided that the financial problem will not be the hurdle in education of tribal

children. In this direction, Government has tried to educate tribal boys and girls and

but still the expected result has not yet achieved.

1.6 Learning Environment

An individual begins to learn soon after his birth and goes on with this process

throughout his life time. Every animal in this world is born with a certain number of

innate dispositions, which determine its initial responses. These initial responses

enable it to adapt itself to the simple environment which is around it. So, learning is

the process of acquiring the responses more suitable to the environment.

Many psychologists, notably the behaviorist, consider that this theory gives a

more or less adequate explanation of many phase of learning process. This theory also

takes into account the fundamental concept of connectionism. The human organism as

well as many other organisms too have an innate fund of responses, tendencies or

reactions which are activated when appropriate stimuli are presented to them. For

example, salivation is the natural responses, when an animal is hungry and food is

presented to it similarly fear and withdrawal are natural responses to loud noise.

These are natural because they have not been learned and are innate. But it has been

seen that if another artificial stimulus is presented along with, or shortly before of

times, the presentation of artificial stimulus alone, ultimately, causes the same

response to occur. In the way, the response is often transferred to an artificial stimulus

and when this is done, the organism is said to have been conditioned.

The appropriateness of environment is another factor which is to be noted for

success in conditioning. In the same way as it is necessary to control the stimulus, so

it is also essential to ensure that the environment is appropriate to the response which

is desired. The appropriateness of the surroundings or environment is essential

because whatever a student learns, he learns in context and whatever responses are

affected by the surrounding of the stimulus it is as much as or more than that by the

stimulus itself.

In the teaching of a language, if the class room situations are far removed from

the normal environment in which one most effectively learns that language, the

learning of the language will be very rudimentary. One most easily learns a language

when one lives among the people who speak it. The reason is that under such

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THE PROBLEM

circumstances, the requirements are most likely to be met. In such surroundings, if a

child wishes to communicate an idea, the desired word is frequently supplied by his

companions and he repeats it while the desire to communicate is still active in him.

This is the reason why the students studying in convents and public school in India

have much better facility in speaking and understanding the English language.

Similarly if a child is born in France he understands and begins to talk in

French on the other hard if a child is born at the same time in India he understands are

begins to talk in Hindi. This is the greatest example that environment plays a great

role in learning and similarly learning environment plays great role in students

learning and achievement.

Learning Environment in the present study refers to school environment,

teacher‟s attitude, extent of family support, friends cooperation in studies, once mind

set up for the studies and facilities provided for studies. It is a sum total of once

atmosphere during education.

1.7 Adjustment

In the words of Laurence F. Shaffer, Adjustment is the process by which a

living organism maintains a balance in between its needs and the circumstances that

influence the satisfaction of these needs.

Adjustment is that condition, a state in which the individual behaviour

conforms to the demand of the culture or society to which he belongs and he feels that

his own needs have been or will be fulfilled. Adjustment involves the gratification of

a person‟s need as governed by the demands of various environmental situations. An

individual‟s adjustment is adequate, wholesome or healthful to the extent that he has

established harmonious relationship himself and the conditions. Situations and

persons who comprise his physical and social environment. James Drever, describes

adjustment as the modification to compensate for or meet special conditions, whereas

Valhalla thinks of adjustment as psychological survival is much the same way as the

biologist uses the term adaptation to describe physiological change.

Accordingly, the process of adjustment has two main features first is „need‟

second is „circumstances‟. When we talk about need it can bio-generic, originating in

society, personal or communal or arising from any other conceivable source. On the

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THE PROBLEM

other side, the circumstances influencing these needs can either be inside or outside

the individual. Factors inside the individual that influence the needs are capacity,

attitudes, interest, physical and mental states etc. For incidence, mostly weak

individuals cannot fulfill their own psychological motives and thus their needs are

affected by their lack of strength. Factors arising within the environment are usually

geographic conditions, social conditions, cultural and political influences.(Chopra,

1989). And these need and circumstances can help for the fulfillment of the

individual‟s requirements. In this way, the nature of influences upon the person‟s

needs can be of two different kinds favorable and unfavorable. Favorable influences

help in the fulfillment of needs while unfavorable influences hinder their satisfactions.

(Yogesh 1989)

1.8 Attitude

Attitude is a mental tendency towards an object. It is readiness of mind to

show favorableness or unfavorableness about an object. Individual attitude is not

static, it changes radically under certain conditions. Though some efforts have been

made to study the attitude of tribal students towards educations (Sharma Khem Raj,

1994) but no effort has been made so far to compare the attitude of tribal and general

students towards education of Chhattisgarh state.

Attitude regulates behavior, not only in the class room but in all other areas of

human experience strongly positive attitude permits growth, negative attitudes hinder

growth, critical attitudes aid in making wise decisions, tolerant attitudes help in

adjusting to new situations. (Goyal, 1989)

Thurston has used the concept of attitude to denote, “The sum total of a man‟s

inclinations and feelings, prejudice or bias, preconceived notions, ideas, threats and

convictions about any specific topic.” The attitude difference towards non-violence,

creativity and conformity of tribes is an important behavioral component. (Yashvant,

1990)

K-Young defined attitude as, “An attitude is essentially a form of anticipatory

response, a beginning of action not necessarily completed.”

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THE PROBLEM

Britt defined attitude as, “An attitude is a mental and neutral state of readiness,

exerting directive or dynamic influence upon the individuals‟ response to all objects

and situations with which it is related.”

Attitudes and Attitude objects are functions of cognitive, affective and

behavioral component. Attitudes are part of the brain‟s associative networks, the

spider like structures residing in long-term memory (Higgins, 1986). A cognitive

component is made up of the beliefs and ideas or opinions about the object of the

attitude. The affective one refers to the feelings and emotions that one has towards an

object, „likes‟ or „dislikes‟, „with‟ or „against‟. Finally, the behavioral component

refers to ones consisting actions or behavioral intentions towards the object. Hence,

attitudes consist of three basic components: emotional, informational and behavioral.

According to Kanekar (1989), attitude roughly is a residuum of experience by

which further activity is conditioned and controlled. We may think of attitudes as

acquired tendencies to act in specific ways toward object. Similarly, Lacy et.

Al.(1983) defined that an attitude is a symbol of neural state of readiness, organized

through experience, exerting a directive of dynamic influence upon the individual‟s

response to all and situation with which it is related. According to Kiesler (1971)

attitude are pre-dispositions to think, feel, perceive and behave selectively towards

referents of attitude. Armstrong et.al.(1981) said that attitude are set mode of

thinking and they are evaluative. This definition explains that attitude is persistent and

evaluative. It means that attitude cannot be formed in haste. They are developed after

critical thinking and evaluation; the worth of decision depends upon the rational

thinking. Mookherjee (1992) defines it as, “Any attitude contains an assessment of

whether the object to which it refers is liked of disliked”.

In the present study these three aspects i.e. learning environment, attitude and

adjustment of tribes has been measured in comparison with the non-tribal students as

learning environment affects the child‟s mentality which indirectly shows some

impressions on attitude of the child in different field and also in the field of education

as attitude is mental condition towards the situation or environment which makes a

child to decide his reaction whether to go against or adjust for the situation.

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THE PROBLEM

1.9 Importance of the study

All these above mentioned reasons have serious impact on Learning

environment, adjustment and attitude towards education of tribal students. In school

the children cannot be called equal in all respect, they are different in many aspects.

The children those who study together belong to 4 categories they are: General

(Gen.), Schedule tribes (ST), Schedule caste (SC) Other backward class (OBC). ST

or tribal children are one of the category which have their influence in the society.

The present study aims to highlight the impact of the Learning Environment (LE),

Adjustment (AD) and Attitude towards education (ATE) of tribal students. The

outcome of the research will help in the improvement of the Learning Environment,

Adjustment and Attitude towards education of the tribal students and non tribal

students both.

The study will be helpful in understanding Learning Environment, Adjustment

and Attitude towards education of tribal children which aims at helping the parents,

teachers, officers and the society to understand and help the tribal students to improve

their academic achievement and social behavior. By knowing the learning

environment, adjustment and attitude towards education of the tribal students the

problems regarding their achievement and adjustment can be solved scientifically.

Though government and NGO‟s are providing support for their development

but it is a bitter truth that the work on papers show some other picture than the actual

fact when we compare the developmental data in records to the actual condition of

tribes there is a vast difference which can also be seen in the field of education of

tribal children. This is the reason of the gulf between the tribal students and general

students in learning environment, adjustment and attitude towards education.

Teaching learning process can be improved and making it more purposive. Good

learning environment helps the students to construct a bright future and lead them to

the path of success. Tribal children have to face many adjustment problems on

account of their backwardness. We can help the tribal children by early identification

and intervention of the problems. By knowing the attitude towards education of tribal

students teaching and learning can be made more effective.

As far as Chhattisgarh is concerned, it was carved out of Madhya Pradesh to

provide development to its distinctive historical social background and cultural

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THE PROBLEM

heritage. The purpose of its formation would be defeated if the educational

backwardness is not uprooted. Since Chhattisgarh is a new state, it is trying to

progress in all spheres. The economic, social and political life of the people is to be

changed. Without expert technicians, machines and engineers much progress is

impossible. We need them in increasing number.

Hence education is of great importance for a developing state like

Chhattisgarh. The vision of developed Chhattisgarh would be a reality if we pursue

education. Strong foundation is indispensable in order to achieve this target. Students

learning environment, adjustment and attitude towards education is undoubtedly a

factor, which would enhance in attaining this objective.

1.10 Chapter Outline

This thesis was divided into seven chapters including present one, which deals

with the introductory part providing importance of the study and the factors affecting

tribal education.

Review of related literature in chapter two referred to the relevant past work

done by the researchers in India.

Method along with the procedure and tools were addressed in chapter four.

The fifth chapter was devoted to results, analysis, interpretation and discussed

the findings.

Summary of the whole study was presented in chapter six.

Implications and directions for future researches were highlighted in last

chapter i.e. seven which was followed by Bibliography.

The last portion contained two appendices: Tools and data were provided in

appendix A and B respectively.

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