Why tribal communities have low literacy levels
To improve their learning outcomes, teachers must integrate traditional wisdom with educational methods
American philosopher John Dewey said any education, in its forms and methods, is an outgrowth of the needs of the society in which it exists. Therefore, the educational methods adopted in a developed European nation would be different from those in an underdeveloped country in Africa. For a nation as diverse as India, one size fits all could be the most disastrous approach to follow, especially when it comes to education.
Case in point: the weak learning outcomes and poor educational statistics among the tribal population. About 8% of India’s population is tribal. As per the 2011 census, the overall literacy rate among the Scheduled Tribes (ST) is 58%. However, these averages mask the diversity among tribal-dominated states. For instance, Mizoram is among the top five literate states while Jharkhand, is among the bottom five.
Various studies have, however, confirmed that the educational experience and learning outcomes in tribal children can be radically transformed by engaging with the community, schools and teachers. Conscious inclusion of mother-tongue in classrooms in early grades, especially class one and two, and use of engaging storybooks in tribal or bilingual format which assist acquisition of regional language with the help of the child’s command over her mother tongue have proven to be effective methods. Creating a print-rich environment in the school through display of children’s drawings and writing, poetry posters and collection of local songs, and lending storybooks to children to engage with print in non-literate home environments are some of the strategies that have worked.
Besides, training teachers and community volunteers in child-centered, experiential pedagogic methods can improve school completion rates among tribal students while improving learning outcomes. Our research among tribal communities in central India showed that a large majority of teachers have low expectations from tribal students and believe that they are incapable of learning at par with students from so-called educated backgrounds. Children are socialised to believe that tribal language and culture, are inferior and being ‘educated’ means moving away from their cultural, linguistic, and psychological identity. Education of tribal children, therefore, needs to affirm tribal identity while opening doors for engaging with the wider world. Additionally, inviting community members to teach handicraft, or share indigenous knowledge have proven to be powerful ways of connecting schools and communities.