Jharkhand Journal of Development and Management Studies XISS, Ranchi, Vol. 17, No.3, September 2019, pp. 8159-8174 DIMENSIONS OF TRIBAL EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT IN JHARKHAND: LINKAGE OF EDUCATIONAL LEVEL AND INDUSTRIAL CATEGORY Vijay Kumar Baraik1 The literacy and education have always been at the central stage of discussion in the process of development of tribal people (Scheduled Tribes or STs) of Jharkhand, since it is directly related to employment and upward mobility in the ladder of socio-economic progress meeting the final goal of well-being. However, there are many contradictions in the State. The most modern establishments of education and employment avenues exist in the State where primitive groups are a reality even today. Though the Census of India 2011 has shown a decline of main workers and a decline of workers from higher educational levels. In the group of cultivators and agricultural labour still major employment migration of youth from the State are reported. There seems to be lack of synergy between education and employment among tribes due to which educated tribal youth have to come back to the primary sectors or take the route of various cities or States to be domestic help or manual labour; and thus education more often fails to manifest its demonstration effects of its benefits. In the above background, this paper examines the situation of tribal education and employment in Jharkhand is the period 2001-2011. In examining the educational status, regional, social and gender disparity, attainments and challenges have been taken into consideration. The association of education with pattern of urbanization, per capita income and levels of development has also been attempted. The study is mainly based on secondary data primarily from the Census of India and other sources. Keywords : Literacy, Tribal Education, Employment, Capabilities, Opportunities, Levels of Development, socio-economic Progress. Introduction and rationale Jharkhand is the 28th State of India carved out of Bihar on 15th November 2000 as a result of prolonged aspirations and struggle. The State has the intermingling population, where people from different ethnic and linguistic origins coexist all over the space. According to the 2011 Census, total population of the State is 32988134, where the share of tribal population is 26.2 per cent. The Scheduled Tribes are one of the prominent social fabrics of the State who give a separate identity to the State. The major concentration of tribal population is in the districts of Khunti, Simdega, Gumla, Pashchimi Singhbhum, 1 Associate Professor of Geography, School of Sciences, IGNOU, New Delhi- 110068. Email: [email protected], mobile: 9968655685 8159 8160 Baraik Lohardaga, Latehar, Dumka, Pakur, Ranchi, and Saraikela- Kharsawan, where roughly 64 per cent of tribal population of Jharkhand resides (Khunti-73.3, Simdega-70.8, Gumla-68.9, Pashchimi Singhbhum-67.3, Lohardaga- 56,9, Latehar- 45.5, Dumka- 43.2, Pakur-42.1, Ranchi-35.8, Saraikela Kharsawan-35.2, Jamtara- 30.4, Sahibganj-26.8, Purbi Singhbhum-28.5, Godda-21.3, Ramgarh- 21.2, Garhwa-15.6, Bokaro-12.4, Deoghar-12.1, Giridih-9.7, Palamu- 9.3, Dhanbad-8.7, Hazaribagh-7.0, Chatra-4.4 and Kodarma-1.0). There has been a decline in the share of tribal population in the last decade. ST population in 1991 was 32.58 per cent, which has continuously been declining and became 26.3 per cent in 2001 and 26.21 per cent in 2011. This decline was observed in the districts of Dumka, Pakur, Ranchi, Saraikela-Kharsawan, Jamtara, Sahebganj, Godda and Deoghar (mostly in the districts of Santhal Parganas). 32 communities have been notified as Scheduled Tribes, out of which nine are identified as Primitive Tribal Groups (PTGs) or Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) (Asur, Birhor, Birajia, Korwa, Parahiya (Baiga), Sabar, Mal Paharia and Souriya Paharia). Numerically the major tribal groups are Santhals, Oraons, Hos, and Mundas. The major languages spoken are Hindi, Sadri/Sadani/Chotanagpuri, Kurukh, Mundari, Ho, Santhali and Kharia. Jharkhand is a region of vast physical and cultural diversity alongwith wide disparity. The region possesses of contradiction in development with coexistence of glaring paradoxical situations. Roughly 40 per cent of the mineral resources of the country are in the State and some of the minerals of the country are found only in Jharkhand. Yet the poverty level is one of the highest among all States in the country. More than 70 per cent main workers are engaged in primary activities and large unemployed population exist despite the presence of well known Asia’s first iron and steel industry, world’s one of the few heavy engineering establishments of that time, India’s automobile giant-Tata Motors, and many other industries with mining activities in the State. Large number of villages remains illiterate (85 villages in 2011 Census) amid most modern educational establishments in the State. Vast potential of manpower and human resources are available but end up wasted due to lack of opportunity. Large area and number of villages are inaccessible and villages are still like cul-de-sac forcing people to live in isolation and considerably behind the rest of the population. Very poor living conditions of the PVTGs are hard realities. The State is characterized with indigenous people and realized due to their longstanding demand for separate State, but aspirations remained to be remote hope. There is a lack of forward and backward bearings (infrastructure without outcome, education without jobs, local resources without employment generation, etc.). Amid this situation, employment Dimensions of Tribal Education and Employment in Jharkhand 8161 in the State for educated tribal youth is a distant dream and thus weakened employability of education exists among them. Stranded tribal youth in considerable number including sizeable educated ones are opting for out migration in search of employment and livelihood despite adverse and often harsh movement/outmigration and working conditions outside the State. In the above background, this paper examines, primarily based on the secondary data, the situation of tribal education and employment in Jharkhand. It also attempts to look into the attainments and challenges in this direction. In doing this, the situation of each tribal community has also been attempted to gauge their educational status and progression towards expanding their capabilities in terms of literacy at micro level. It has various sections viz introduction, objectives, data and methods, literature review, findings and conclusion. Findings includes three major sub-sections: education (literacy, association with pattern of urbanization, per capita income and levels of development; educational deprivation: some explanations and challenges), employment situation, and education and employment. Objectives The objective of this paper is to examine the dimensions tribal education and employment situation in Jharkhand. It also explores the attainments and challenges in education and employment and the association of employment with education. Database and methods The study is primarily based on secondary data from the Census of India and other sources. Simple statistical and cartographic methods have been used for statistical analysis and cartographic data representation in the paper. Literature Review Education is primarily for acquiring knowledge and skill and exploration of truth, self transformation and changing mindset with gradual exposure to knowledge. It is also to get liberated from darkness of ignorance and many evils. However, it is also very important to widen opportunities by up scaling capabilities and have better life through employment and earnings. The first human development report highlights that the human development is a process of enlarging peoples’ choice and education is one of the engines of human development and enhancing capabilities (UNDP, 1990). The report of the 71st Round 8162 Baraik of National Sample Survey says, “The foundation of the society is based on education. It brings economic and social prosperity. One can appositely say, a strong nation can be built by ensuring that each citizen of that nation is educated (NSSO, 2015, p. 1).” Studies also highlight that there is direct linkage of level of education and employment. Dreze and Sen (1995) has highlighted five ways of freedom lead by education along with health- intrinsic importance, instrumental personal roles, instrumental social roles, instrumental process roles and empowerment and distributive roles. Instrumental personal roles say that education along with health help a person in not only being educated and healthy, but also in are important for getting a job and making use of economic opportunities resulting in expansion of freedom. Education is a great driver of social change and upward mobility as well. Income is not the end but is the means to attain other factors of expansion of human capabilities. It is further strengthened by the employment as a means for income and employment opportunities are widened by education. Therefore, it is as important as other factors. “Skilled, healthy and well-educated people are in a better position than others to take their lives into their own hands. They are generally more likely to find employment and earn better wages (HDR, 1990, p. 26).” In tribal regions, after attaining good level of education, if a person has to go back to the avenues where one cannot have better access to other contributing factors (food and nutrition, health services, education, water and sanitation, etc.) resulting in low level stagnation forcing into circular or cumulative causation. It is examined by other studies also (Singh & Ojha, 2019, p. 46). Findings and Discussions: Education (Literacy) The literacy rate among STs in Jharkhand in 1991 was 27.52 per cent where female literacy was 15.41 per cent. All the districts of Santhal Pargana region and Giridih had ST female literacy of less than 10 per cent and it was below 6 per cent in Deoghar and Giridih. In 2001 the ST literacy was 40.7 per cent and the total literacy rate in the State was 53.56 per cent in the State.