REFLECTION ON KEY ELEMENTS AND CHALLENGES OF TRIBES OF KERALA IN HIGHER EDUCATION: ROLE OF POLITICS AND ECONOMY

One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world. Education is education. We should learn everything and then choose which path to follow. Education is neither Eastern nor Western, it is human. Malala Yousafza (2014). Education is the root of development and is the must tool to ensure equality of opportunity following this philosophy, the central and state governments have been making various efforts to educate the masses. Even after intensive programmes and policies offered by the central and state government, the development hasnt reached the education sector among the tribal community. According to Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) 2016-17 about 19.6% of students belong to Scheduled Castes at the primary level, but this fraction falls to 17.3% at the higher secondary level. These enrolment drop-offs are more severe for Scheduled Tribes students (10.6% to 6.8%), and differently-abled children (1.1% to 0.25%), with even greater declines for female students within each of these categories. The decline in enrolment in higher education is even steeper. (National Education Policy, NEP,2020). Weak academic performance and the increasing dropout rate are even today common among Scheduled Tribe communities. Politics, economy, community, and gender are correlated with ones life aspirations, overall learning skills, and adjustment to the educational institution.