World Tribal Day: Govt to take edu route to end superstitions
RANCHI: The state government has decided to tackle the problem of superstitious practices on the World Tribal Day which would be observed across the globe on Tuesday.
State welfare secretary Rajiv Arun Ekka said on Monday the state has decided to make the Right to Education the theme of the World Tribal Day.
Educating the tribals will not only bring development but also eradicate superstition among them, he said.
“Eradicating superstitious beliefs from the tribal community is the greatest challenge for us. Only education can end practices such as witch-hunting,” said Ekka.
The state will run campaigns to bring down the dropout rate among the tribal children, which is very high, he said. While the state has no separate figures on the number of dropouts, Ekka said it is around 80% among the tribal children.
Superstition is a perennial problem in Jharkhand. In the past one week, at least five women were beaten to death in Jharkhand on charges of practising witchcraft. Sources say over 1,200 women have fallen victim to witch-hunting in Jharkhand so far, and the problem is only worsening.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau data, the state witnessed 220 such killings between 2008 and 2013, the highest in the country.
“Education for the tribal community is a must for the holistic development of the state. The community should embrace modern technology and not resist changes,” Ekka said.
According to the 2014 Annual Survey of Education Report, 4.3% of children between 6 and 14 years and 6.7% of those in the 7-16 age groups were out of schools, and 20% between 15 and 16 years dropped out in rural Jharkhand.
Tribals form 26.2% of the state’s total population of 3.29 crore. Lack of education and economic backwardness also make the tribals – the state has 32 groups -- the prime targets of Maoist outfits which lure young boys and girls to join them.
State welfare minister Louis Marandi said the tribals in Jharkhand lag behind in education and health.