1.1: Introduction: India is a developing nation with a diverse population of various religions, castes and sub-castes. This population is divided into various social groups i.e. Open, OBC, SC, ST and Minor. The tribals are believed to be the original residents of India. They were driven to forests, hills and other inhospitable regions. In their remote existence, these communities established their own different culture, traditions, languages and administrative structure. While some of them are settled cultivators, several others continual to rest on on shifting cultivation, hunting, food gathering, etc. After independence, such areas were retitled as Scheduled Areas and were comprised in Schedule V and Schedule VI. The essential characteristics for recognition as a Scheduled Tribe are primitive traits, geographical isolation, distinctive culture, shyness of contact with outsiders and economic backwardness. The tribal communities characterize diverse ethnic, religious and linguistic groups. The common features found among all the tribal communities are their solid cultural traditions, kinship, remoteness of their habitats, lack of infrastructure facilities and low level of technical improvement. The tribals continue among the most backward and poorest sections of our populations. This chapter will provide details about an origin, definition & meaning of tribal, demographic profile, development status of tribals in India and various development schemes for tribal in India and Maharashtra.

Contents: Introduction, Review of Literature, Approach to Tribal Development, Design of the Study, Socio-Economic and Demographic Profile of the Respondents, Profile of Tribals in Andhra Pradesh, Impact of Education, Absenteeism, Stagnation and Wastage, Alternative Strategies of Development of Tribal Education: Non-Formal Education, Summary and Conclusions.

Education still eludes the tribals in India even after sixty years of planning and development. In a typically tribal dominated pocket like KBK districts of Odisha, three out of four tribals are illiterate, one among ten of their women is literate and 11.3% of 6-14 years tribal children remain out of school. Supply and demand side factors deter spread of education among the tribals. Distance to school from residence and lack of appropriate infrastructure work as supply side constraints on ST children going to school. The demand side constraints include parent's poverty, illiteracy and demand for help in domestic work, large family, cost of education and the like. This book brings out in emphatic terms that socio-economic development of the tribals is function of education. The author succeeded in showing that primary education has an impact on social and economic levels of the tribals. It acts as a lever in improving their income level, agricultural productivity, general awareness and general health. Return to education is the highest in their case among the tribals.

Papers presented at a training program organized by the Training Division, Dept. of Personnel and Administrative Reforms, Govt of India.

ABSTRACT This qualitative research study explores the cultural dissonance promoted in Indian tribal students by participation in the mainstream Indian educational system and the changes this has brought to their lives. Previous studies have tried to analyze the problem from four theoretical perspectives: biological interpretation, the socio-economic perspective, inter-colonization theory, and the cultural reproduction perspective. This study examines the applicability of these perspectives in analyzing the participation of Indian tribal students in the Indian education system. It attempts to identify elements that are incompatible with tribal culture, examine the difference in educational achievement between the tribal elites and their downtrodden counterparts, assess the social standing of the tribal graduates, and examine teachers' conception of tribal students. The study used a non-experimental, cross-sectional research design with the main tools of data collection being observation and personal interviews. The study was conducted on the Santal, Birhor, Kharia and Lodha tribes located in Bankura, Birbhum, Puruliya, and Paschim Medinipur districts of the state of West Bengal in India. Personal interviews were conducted with tribal students, graduates, parents, teachers, and principals of tribal schools. The research revealed that the modern education system makes little attempt to address cultural specificities in designing education policies for tribal students which results in the development of a negative self-image. Moreover, although claimed to be free by the Indian government, achieving success in the education system involves subsidiary costs like private tution which represents an obstacle for poverty stricken tribal families. The problem is further complicated due to the unempathetic attitudes and beliefs of teachers and the ill-conceived developmental policies designed by educational planners that fail to incorporate curricular elements compatible with tribal culture.

More than half the people who defecate in the open live in India. Around the world, people live healthier lives than in centuries past, in part because latrines keep faecal germs away from growing babies. India is an exception. Most Indians do not use toilets or latrines, and so infants in India are more likely to die than in neighbouring poorer countries. Children in India are more likely to be stunted than children in sub-Saharan Africa.Where India Goes demonstrates that open defecation in India is not the result of poverty but a direct consequence of the caste system, untouchability and ritual purity. Coffey and Spears tell an unsanitized story of an unsanitary subject, with characters spanning the worlds of mothers and babies living in villages to local government implementers, senior government policymakers and international development professionals. They write of increased funding and ever more unused latrines.Where India Goes is an important and timely book that calls for the annihilation of caste and attendant prejudices, and a fundamental shift in policy perspectives to effect a crucial, much overdue change.