View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Crossref Goswami Barooah. Space and Culture, India 2014, 2:1 Page | 24 RESEARCH ARTICLE OPEN ACCESS Spatial Pattern and Variation in Literacy among the Scheduled Castes Population in the Brahmaputra Valley, Assam Dr Momita Goswami Barooah† Abstract Scheduled Caste (SC) population constitutes a sizeable portion of the total population of Assam accounting for 6.32 per cent according to the 2011 Census. They comprise a socially backward class in the Indian society—downtrodden illiterate people of the Indian social fabric. Literacy and educational attainment are considered the hallmark of a modern society. The traits of the modern society, such as, industrialisation, modernisation and urbanisation are closely associated with the level of literacy and education. In the middle part of the 20th century, the literacy rate among them was very low. However, in the later part of the 20th century and in the current millennium due to the developmental measures implemented by both the Central as well as State Governments of India and due to the influence of mass media, there has been a change in the pattern of literacy. The literacy rate of the SC population in the Brahmaputra Valley, Assam was 66.34 per cent in 2011 against 61.15 per cent for general population, which is slightly lower than the SC population in the Valley. The study of the pattern of literacy among various social groups of SCs in the study area provides an insight into the socio-economic situations. An attempt has been made in this paper to analyse the spatial pattern of literacy and its variations among the scheduled caste population in the Brahmaputra Valley, Assam. Key words: Literacy, Inductive Method, Scheduled Caste, Educational Attainment, Brahmaputra Valley, Assam † Department of Geography, Gauhati University, Guwahati, Email: [email protected] ©2014 Goswami Barooah. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Goswami Barooah. Space and Culture, India 2014, 2:1 Page | 25 Introduction of mass media, there has been a change in the pattern of literacy among the SCs. The pattern of literacy and education of the Scheduled Castes (SCs) population is at the The Constitution of India in its Article 45 of the heart of understanding of this research. Directive Principle urges the State to provide Literacy and educational attainment level are free and compulsory education for all the considered as significant factors influencing the children, until they attain 14 years of age. In socio-economic development of any society. this direction, the National Policy on Education, The quality of human society can be judged 1968 was a milestone, which stressed the need through educational attainment level. In the for vigorous efforts for the early fulfilment of said context, Assam, located in the North this aim. The amendment of the Constitution in Eastern region of India is lagging far behind in 1976 included education in the concurrent list literacy and education and so is the case of the and, subsequently, the revised National Policy Brahmaputra valley of the state. I begin this of Education, 1986, 1992 again reemphasised paper with a brief background. on the universal access and enrollment of the Background children up to 14 years of age and a substantial improvement in the quality of education to The SCs are a native and aboriginal group of enable all children access to essential levels of people, who in the wake of Aryan colonisation learning based on Common Minimum of India came into close contact with the socio- programme of the United Progressive Alliance cultural habits of the Aryans and subsequently (UPA) Government and Programme of Action adopted the Hindu social norms, which are (PoA), 1992 under the National Policy on divided as the Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, Education (NPE), 1986. This followed the and Sudras. In ancient times, the privileged launching of the flagship programme, the Sarva class formed by the Aryans acquired social Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) mandated by the 86th power in the society and considered the Amendment to the Constitution of India for smaller group of population as subordinates to achievement of Universalisation of Elementary them. This group known as the Sudras conform Education (UEE), making free and compulsory to the lowest stratum of the caste hierarchy of education to the children aged 6-14 years, a the Hindus. The Sudras have suffered various fundamental right. Finally, on 4 August 2009, socio-economic and political discriminations in the Parliament of India under the Article 21a of society; some of them were even called as the Constitution of India passed the legislation untouchables (see, Baruah, 2014) and referred of Compulsory Education Act or Right to to as depressed classes until 1935. Afterwards Education Act (RTE) that came into force on 1 the term ‘Scheduled Castes’ was applied to April 2010. The influences of these policies/acts them in the Government of India Act 1935. obviously resulted in improvement in the According to the Sixth Schedule of the Indian literacy rates and the level of education among Constitution, SCs are regarded as the weakest the general population as a whole and the SCs sections of the India and therefore, a backward in particular. According to the 2011 Census, in class of the society (Baruah, 2014; the Brahmaputra valley, Assam, 66.34 percent Bhattacharyya, 2009; 2013). In the past, they of SCs (excluding 0-6 year’s age group) are were downtrodden illiterate people of the literates. The male literacy rate is Indian social fabric. Even in the middle part of comparatively higher than the corresponding the 20th century, the literacy rate among them female literacy rate observed among the SCs in was very low. However, in the later part of the the Brahmaputra valley. It is observed from the 20th century and in the current millennium due research analysis that the literacy rate is to the developmental measures implemented comparatively higher in case of SCs than the by both the Central as well as the state overall general literacy rate of the Valley (Table governments of India and due to the influence 1). This situation is mainly due to the presence of a large population of general Muslims in the Goswami Barooah. Space and Culture, India 2014, 2:1 Page | 26 study area, with the majority of them being literature and various reports have been illiterates. consulted. Methods adopted in the present Study Area analysis are simple percentage and Sopher’s disparity index (Sopher, 1974). Sopher’s The Brahmaputra valley lies between 25045’ N Disparity index has been deployed to probe the and 270 56’N latitudes and 890 42’ E and 960 0’E sex disparity in literacy. This method, longitude (Figure 1). The valley is a distinct developed by David V. Sopher (1974), is used to physiographic unit of the North Eastern region examine the relative disparity between two of India. The study areas lie within the present groups (in this case, I measure the sex disparity state of Assam, consisted of 18 districts in 2001 in literacy trend of the SC population in the and now 21 districts in 2011. The Valley is an Brahmaputra Valley and Assam, 1961-2011 alluvial plain covering an area of 56194 sq.km (Table 1). This method is deployed when the representing 72% of the total area of Assam. value of the variables are given in terms of Data Base and Methodology percentages. If X1 and X2 indicates the respective percentage of value of variables of The study is based partially on secondary data, group 1 and 2, the disparity index (D) is: which are taken from the different census of India, volumes and other relevant Government D = Log(X2/X1) +Log [(Q-X1) / (Q-X2)] publications of the Directorate of Economics Where, X2≥X1 (that X2 should have higher and Statistics for the period 1991 to 2011. Data value than X1) and Q=100. In case of no pertaining to educational attainment level have disparity, that is, perfect equality, the value of been collected through a questionnaire survey D will be 0. However, with the increasing value in 2010. For other base materials, relevant of D, the disparity will increase. Figure 1: Location Map of the Brahmaputra Valley Goswami Barooah. Space and Culture, India 2014, 2:1 Page | 27 Spatial Pattern of Literacy female child generally helps them in the domestic work (Bhattacharyya et al., 2010; It is observed from Table 1 that the trend of literacy rate as a whole among the SCs is not 2011; Bhattacharyya and Vauquline, 2013). encouraging during the period 1961-2011. Figure 2 highlights the trend of literacy among When both the male and female literacy rates the SCs in the Brahmaputra Valley. The literacy among the SCs are considered, it is observed rates also vary in different districts of the from the field study that the female literacy Brahmaputra Valley. According to the 2011 rates are far below than the male literacy, Census, the highest percentage share of SC albeit the sex disparity is gradually decreasing literates is found in the Sivasagar district with during the period 1961-2011 (Table 1)—the 76.98 per cent while the lowest is recorded in disparity decreased from 0.47 in 1961 in the Chirang district with only 54.78 per cent. The Valley to 0.23 in 2011. Notwithstanding, the spatial variation of literacy pattern in the Valley low level of literacy among the females can be is presented in the Table 2 for clear explained due to low status of women and understanding of the situation.