CHALLENGES FACED BY DALITS IN
ACHIEVING EDUCATION
JINCY, J.
I
Year B. Ed student
HOLY
TRINITY COLLEGE OF EDUCATION,
MELPALAI,
EDAICODE POST.
ABSTRACT
Education is meant to develop
the humankind. In ancient India, educational institutions were considered as
“the treasure houses of knowledge with self discipline”. But in the present
scenario, education is becoming a business with more profit in terms of money.
Thus education is become a private property for certain groups of the society
by neglecting some other groups of the country. In India, one of such
neglected groups of people are “dalits”. Our society refused to include them
in the main stream of our country and don’t allow them to get access of
education. On the whole, the major reason for the negation of educational
opportunities of dalits is the lack of consideration by the upper castes. This
paper intricately betells the challenges faced by dalits in accessing
education.
Keywords : Dalits, access,
education, discrimination, exclusion, caste.
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Introduction
In
India, many students face violence and discrimination in the educational
institutions in terms of caste, religion, gender, class.etc. Even though our
constitution ensured the right of education for all, still many educational
institutions denied the access of education to all children
irrespective of their caste and class. Dalits are the most deprived groups of
Indian caste hierarchy who are denied of life, educational as well as
employment opportunities. The society considered them as “unimportant”, thus
they don’t need the fruitfulness of education.
Who
Are Dalits
The
word “dalit” is a vernacular form of the Sanskrit. In classical Sanskrit, this
means “divided, split, broken, scattered”. This word was repurposed in 19th
century Sanskrit to mean “a person not belonging to one of the four Brahminic
castes”. The term “dalits” was first used by Pune - based social reformer
Jyothirao Phule. (Rao,2002).
“Dalit
is mostly used to describe co0mmunities that have been subjected to
untouchability”. Such people were excluded from the for – fold varna system of
Hinduism and the thought of themselves as forming a fifth varna, describing
themselves as Panchama.
Other
Terms for Dalits
1.
Scheduled
Castes is the official term for dalits in the opinion of India’s
National; Commission for Scheduled Castes ( NCSC).
2.
Mahatma
Gandhi coined the word “Harijan” , translated roughly as people of God, to
identify untouchables in 1933.
3.
Dr.
B.R. Ambedkar, echoing the literal meaning of dalit, used the English phrase “the
broken men”.
4.
In
southern India, Dalits are sometimes known as “Adi Dravida, Adi Karnataka, and
Adi Andhra”.
Dalits
in India
The
number of dalits in India increased by 35 million during the decade ranging
from 2001 to 2011. Dalits form around 16.6% of India’s population. Nearly half
of the country’s dalit population is in four states according to the 2011
census. Uttar Pradesh stands first with 20.5% of the total scheduled caste
population, followed by West Bengal with 10.7%, Bihar with 8.2% and Tamil Nadu
with 7.2% third and fourth. According to the 2011 census, Dalits officially
known as “scheduled castes” constitute 201 million people. (Paswan & Jaideva,
2003).
Legal
Provisions for the Educational Upliftment of Dalits
1.
Scholarships
( pre- matric and post- matric)
2.
Opening
of schools in dalits localities
3.
Grants
of hostel fees and books
4.
Opening of residential schools, balwadis,
community centers etc.
5.
Establishing
book banks
6.
Up
gradation of merits of SC/ ST students
7.
Coaching
and allied schemes
8.
National
overseas scholarship and passed grants for higher studies abroad
9.
15%
reservation in Kendriya Vidyalaya
10. 27% reservation in higher
education
11. Midday meal scheme. ( Pandey,
2005).
Educational
Status of Dalits in India
India
advocates inclusive growth, but owing to lack of education and skill
development, the marginalized sections are not becoming part of the inclusive
growth. Dalits literacy rate did not go beyond 8.5 percent in1961. In spite of
this, the literacy rate has not crossed beyond 11.39% in 1971 because of the
complex nature of issues like absenteeism, stagnation, drop- out and seasonal
migration by dalits.
The
2011 census data indicate that educational development of the STs is quite
uneven among different states. The data indicate that some states with higher
concentration of tribal population have been doing extremely well. They are Mizoram (91.5%), Nagaland (80.0%),
Manipur (77.4%) and Meghalaya (74.5%). Whereas some states with more number of
dalit habitations continue to perform very low. They are Jharkhand (57.1%), Madhyapradesh
(50.6%), Orissa (52.2%) and Andhra Pradesh (49.2%). (Brahmmanandam & Babu,
2016).
Challenges
in Achieving Dalit Education
Discrimination against Dalits in the educational system
is a widespread problem in caste-affected countries. Alienation, social
exclusion, and physical abuse transcend all levels of education, from primary
education to university. Illiteracy and drop-out rates among Dalits are very
high due to a number of social and physical factors.
In school, even their touch was considered as
“polluting”. A common practice was the requirement for dalit and children
from other low castes to sit at the back of the class room. The teachers barely
noticed their presence, answered their questions or helped them with classroom
activities. Similarly the low caste children and dalits were banned from
entering the school kitchen or touching the vegetables, fruits or utensils.
They had separate seating and serving of food during midday meal. (Bajoria,
2015).
Even
in the 21st century, many people foolishly believing in the
superstition “untouchability”. For ages, dalits and other low castes have had
to adhere to the stringent principles of the caste system and to rigidly maintain
the historical notions of purity and pollution. Teachers and children from upper castes considering their touch as
“polluting”. (Ovichegan, 2015). Discriminatory practices against Dalit
children exercised by teachers may include corporal punishment, denial of
access to school water supplies, segregation in class rooms, and forcing Dalit
children to perform manual scavenging on and around school premises (IDSN and
Navsarjan, 2010).
A study on caste-based discrimination in
school documented that indirect discrimination by teachers, such as neglect,
repeated blaming, and labeling of Dalit students as weak performers, lead to
social exclusion of Dalit students in schools. The consequence was irregular
attendance in classroom, less concentration in studies, less participation in
school activities, lower performance, failure, and school drop-out (D.R.
Bishworma, 2010).
Intolerance, prejudice and harassment
towards Dalits are equally prevalent in institutions of higher education where
discrimination is practiced by senior upper-caste students, teachers,
faculties, and administrations. The caste bias manifests itself in the way
teachers ignore Dalit students and unjustly fail them in exams, in social
exclusion and physical abuse, and in the unwillingness of the university
administration to assist Dalits and support them. As a grave consequence of
this harassment, a disproportionate number of Dalit and Adivasi students have
committed suicide in India. ( Paik, 2005).
Additionally, Dalit children face
discriminatory attitudes from fellow students and the community as a whole, in
particular from higher caste members who perceive education for Dalits as a
waste and a threat. In reflection
to this, dalit people also don’t give any significance to their education and
didn’t want to raise protest against the figures who are excluded them. This is linked to a perception among some
higher caste people that educated Dalits pose a threat to village hierarchies
and power relations, and that Dalits are generally incapable of being educated
(Vasavi et al., 1997).
Even though there are many merit
scholarships for dalit children, most of the time they are denied of it. Money spent on education is much more than the money
received as scholarship. As a result of this they drop out from the schools and
colleges, it will affect their educational outcome. (Shubodaya, 2013).
Though our constitution ensured many legal educational provisions
for the upliftment of dalit community, many institutions refuse to access them
education for being low castes or dalit. These legal provisions will ensure within the
non- dalit students by political and social influence.
Suggestions for
Improvement
The
first and best way to achieve universalization of dalit education is the wiping
out of discrimination and caste hierarchy from Indian society. Governments
should take concrete steps to eradicate the existing prevalence of caste-based
discrimination in schools, including stereotypical and demeaning references in
e.g. school books; ensure inclusion of children of affected communities in
schools; and disseminate general information about the importance of
non-discrimination and respect for affected communities in the entire education
system.
The
Government of India must appoint certain committees in order to monitor the
provision of merit scholarships for dalit children and avoid corruption in it.
All
the educational institutions must be ensure themselves with a anti
discrimination cell for the protection of students from violence and
discrimination. For achieving all these, first the society
must abolish the evils of discrimination and untouchability from our country. Then only we are able to promote
the educational status of dalits.
Conclusion
Education is the powerful weapon which
leads a country into the path of development. But in our country the education
is not equally accessible to all the citizens. The reason behind it is the
discrimination on the basis of caste and class. If we don’t provide educational
opportunities to the dalit group, our country will not become prosperous and
developed as they are the part of our country.
References
Paik, S. (2014). Dali women’s education in
modern India. New York: Routledge.
Ovichegan,
S.K.(2015). Faces of discrimination
in higher education in India. Oxon: Milton Publishers.
Paswan, S. &
Jaideva,P. (2003). Encyclopedia of dalits in India. New Delhi: Kalpaz Publications.
Brahmanandam, T.& Babu, T.B. (2016). Educational
status among the scheduled tribes: issues
and challenges. Retrieved from: www.sciencedirect.com.
Shubhodaya,
K.(2013). Dalit and adivasi education: challenges and prospects in planning
, financing and implementation.
Delhi: JNU Publishers.
Rao, S. (2002). Dalits
in education and workforce. Retrieved from: https://www.reserchgate.net/publication/262122305.
Subramanian,M.
(2016). Educational status of dalit girls in India : an evaluative study.
Retrieved from: www.researchgate.com.
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Pandey, J.N.
(2005). Constitutional law of India forty second edition. Allahabad:
Central law agency Publishers.
Paik, S. (2016). Education
and exclusion of dalits : a history of hurt and humiliation. Retrieved from: www.today.blogspot.com.
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