INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC & TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH VOLUME 9, ISSUE 01, JANUARY 2020 ISSN 2277-8616 Factors Associated With School Dropout: A Sociological Study Among The Maram Naga Primitive Tribe, .

Maningba Augustine L, Dr M Jeyaseelan, A Stephen

Abstract: Education is the vital wherewithal of desirable change. The 86th amendment of the Indian constitution proclaimed education is the fundamental right. The enactment of the RTE Act, 2009 also implies the gravity of education. The ground reality is somewhat different where a school dropout was an unavoidable phenomenon due to various causes. Manipur is one of the northeast states with beautiful landscapes inhabited by tribal people. This paper examined the causes of school dropout among the Maram Naga Tribe of Manipur. Totally, 260 school dropouts (between 5th std. to 12th std) were identified an interview schedule was used to cull out the causes behind their out of school. It was observed that large family size, lack of guidance, non-affordability, remote accessibility were the significant factors of school dropouts in Manipur.

Keywords: Education, school dropout, causes, family background, peer influences, and school reasons. ——————————  ——————————

1 INTRODUCTION Young female children are mostly depending on the School dropout is the unwelcoming phenomenon which mothers’ level of education (Rumberger, 1983). The attracts the attention of policymakers and planners. There children dropouts from school due to lack of interest in their are no uniform factors associated with such incidence. Both studies; reasons the cost of a fee was too high for which developed and developing nations are reeling under this they need to earn outside work for payment at the same social problem. In , 62.1 million children are out of time they need to do household work (Gouda &T.V.Sekher, school (Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) 2014). Dropout was more from the families when they give (Taneja, 2018). Among the Indian states, Jharkhand has the a full permissive lifestyle to children of making their own highest dropout rate for schoolchildren in India (only 30 out decisions about their behaviour and activities (Rumberger of 100 finish school) (Radhakrishnan, 2019). UNESCO et al. 1990; Steinberg at al. 1989). The peer pressure Regional Office for Education in Asia and the Pacific influences student’s dropout (Omollo &Yambo, 2017). The Bangkok in 1984, note that in India a large number of most frequently reported reason by scheduled tribe, school leavers who are still in the age group 6-14 but would scheduled caste parents for drop out of their wards is due not like to return to the school since they have to support to earning compulsion, household work, lack of interest in their families. The school dropouts have become a serious continuing education and failure in their examinations problem since it affects both individual and society. They (ArindamBanik and DebasisNeogi 2014). This shown that leave the school due to their prolonged socio-cultural still the minority groups, people do not understand the deprivation and less exposure to the cultural ethos of importance of education. modernity, as a result, there was low aspiration among the tribal children of the Goal Para district in 1.1 Study area: (ChintamayeeSarangi, 2009). Similarly, school dropout Manipur is one of the eight states of with rates are higher from families of low socioeconomic status 76.94 literacy rate (census, 2011). The geographical (Kolstad and Owings, 1986). Other factors associated with territory of the state is bound by in the north, school dropout include low educational and occupational in the south, Assam in the west, and by the attainment levels of parents, low family income (Ekstrom et borders of the country Burma in the east as well in the al., 1986; Chan et al., 1984). The factors influencing school south. Manipur consists of 33 recognized tribes and other dropout found to be household work and lack of parental non-recognized tribes. Among them, Maram Naga Tribe is guidance (Baruah et al., 2012). Poverty was the main the only primitive tribe. During 51st International Literacy reason for dropout, as a result, they work for supporting the Day, Manipur, Deputy Chief Minister Y Joykumar has family economy (Umesh R. Dixit, 2010). Another study also stressed that main reasons behind students dropping out of foundout the reasons for the school dropout of girls was to school. Students are deprived of educational rights due to take care of a home and younger siblings as both parents the economic backwardness of his or her family or were working (Patel & Gandhi, 2016). A similar study giddiness to study. As per the statistics of school education associated with school dropout emerges from children’s in India 2010-11, the dropout rate in schedule tribe of household situations such as child labour and poverty Manipur in class I-VIII for girls 74.3% and for boys 75.7%. (Sabates, 2011).

2 LITERATURE REVIEW ______ChintamayeeSarangi (2009), studied on the Effect of Psychosocial and Institutional variables on School Dropouts • Maningba Augustine L, Ph.D. Research Scholar, Department of Sociology, Periyar University, Tamil Nadu, India. E-mail: in the Age group of 6-14 years with special Reference to [email protected] Tribal Children of Goalpara District. The study found low • Dr. M. Jeyaseelan, Assistant Professor, Department of aspiration among the tribal children and their prolonged Sociology, Periyar University, Tamil Nadu, India. socio-cultural deprivation and less exposure to the cultural • A. Stephen, Ph.D. Research Scholar, Department of Sociology, Periyar University, Tamil Nadu, India. 2215 IJSTR©2020 www.ijstr.org INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC & TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH VOLUME 9, ISSUE 01, JANUARY 2020 ISSN 2277-8616

Number of Percentage ethos of modernity. The most of tribal children dropouts Socio-Demographic details (60%) were caused by inadequate institutional facilities. The Respondents (%) socio-economic status of the parents of non-dropout tribal Sex of the Male 175 67.3 respondents Female 85 32.7 children is much better than the tribal dropout children 16 - 20 61 23.5 along with better school adjustment ability. The socio- Age (At the 21 - 25 137 52.7 economic status of the parent or family is the main time of data 26 - 30 50 19.2 determinant of school adjustment as supported by Mathur collection) 31 - 34 12 4.6 (1999), Miller et, al (2006), Margetts (2003). Sateesh Unmarried 209 80.4 Marital status Gouda M and T.V. Sekher (2014) study on ―Factors Leading Married 51 19.6 School Dropouts in India: An Analysis of National Family Higher Health Survey-3 Data‖. The finding found that children did primary level 86 31.1 (5 – 8) not interest in studies because the school fees were too Lower Educational much at the same time they need to work household work secondary 95 36.5 qualification and earn money for payment. Similar findings by J. Mishra level (9 -10) Pratibha, et. al., (2014) found the reason was due to a lack Higher of interest in schooling. The causative factor for dropout secondary 79 30.4 was students were engaged in their household matters like level (11 – 12) take care of their younger siblings and household work as Source: Primary Data their parents engaged in daily labour. Eric Vincent Mudemb, (2010) conducted a study on the causes of dropout among Socio-economic variables have a far-reaching impact on boys and girls from secondary schools in Ugenya district, the lifestyle, behaviour of an individual, attitude and thinking Siaya County, Kenya. The study revealed that both boys process. According to the data, boys (67.3%) outnumbered and girls dropped out of school due to financial and girls (32.7%). About 52.7 percent were in the age group of economic factors. 21 – 25 years of old and, it was found that 80.4 percent were unmarried and 19.6 per cent were married. Regarding educational qualification, 36.5 per cent had only lower 3 MATERIALS AND METHOD secondary levels (9-10 standards). This finding was Maram Naga Primitive Tribe are the most backward in all supported by the study (Saravanan, 2019). aspects like economically, socially, politically and educationally as compare to other Nagas tribes and they Table No. 2 were included in the 75 groups as a Particularly Vulnerable Distribution of Respondents by Family Profile. Tribal Group (PVTG) in India which were included in the N=260 eighth five-year plan in 1993-94. Economically agriculture is Number of Percentage Family Profile the mainstay occupation of the land and other avenues of respondents (%) job opportunities are very bleak. It has a patriarchal social Nuclear family 246 94.6 Types of family structure and culturally men have a superior role to women. Joint family 14 5.4 Large family size is the obvious feature of Maram Naga 1-3 8 3.1 4-6 68 26.2 tribe. The perennial issue of Manipur is of insurgency or Family size militant groups. The economic blockade is the common 7-9 130 50.0 Above 9 54 20.8 feature of Manipur which stymie the development of the 1-2 121 46.5 land. In this context, inadequate schooling facilities add Respondent’s 3-4 84 32.3 more fuel to the incidence of dropouts. Hence the present birth order 5-6 43 16.5 study intends to study the socio-economic demographic 7 and Above 12 4.6 profile of the school dropouts who belong to Maram Naga Nil 23 8.8 tribe of Manipur and to find out the factors associated with Siblings still 1-2 87 33.5 the incidence of school dropouts. The district of studying 3-4 100 38.5 Manipur was selected since it has more Maram Naga tribe. 5 and Above 50 19.2 Agriculture 239 91.9 Occupation of From 22 Maram government-recognized villages 864 Business 16 6.2 respondents’ dropout names were collected from the village panchayat Government family 5 1.9 census book which constitutes universe of the study. The employee simple random sampling design was used to select the Up to 5000 84 32.3 respondents. Equal preference was given to every village The family 5,001-10,000 94 36.2 30 per cent and by using lottery method the sample size income per 10,001-15,000 28 10.8 260 dropouts were reached. The reviews from the earlier month in Rs. 15,001-20,000 28 10.8 Above 20,000 26 10.0 studies were used to finalize research tool. The personal Source: Primary Data interview schedule was used to collect data from the respondents. Table 2 shows the percentage distribution of the

respondents’ family profile. The study found that the nuclear 4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS family was predominant (94.6%) and 50 per cent of respondents stated that there were 7-9 members in the Table No. 1 family. We can have made inferences that a larger size of Distribution of Respondents by Socio-demographic details. the family prevents the elders to look after their wards educational issues. It was noted that 46.5 percent of the N = 260 respondents were in 1-2 birth order. Since they were in next 2216 IJSTR©2020 www.ijstr.org INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC & TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH VOLUME 9, ISSUE 01, JANUARY 2020 ISSN 2277-8616 to parents they shouldered some family commitment guidance and Disagree 38 14.6 eventually resulted in dropout from school. For 38.5 percent motivation. Mixed 63 24.2 of the respondent’s siblings’ study made them as dropped Silent 99 38.1 Scolding 23 8.8 out. Agriculture was the main economic activity for 91.9 Parents’ reaction Very angry 38 14.6 percent of respondents’ family. It was observed that by when their children dropout. Encourage to doing farming activities, they were not in the position to go back to 100 38.5 afford education. Only 36.2 percent of the respondents’ school family has an income of rs 5001-10,000 thousand rupees Source: Primary Data per month. The inferences drawn from the data was that the economic background of the respondents’ family was more Family is the main institution that provides care and support or less equal. to its members. The clutches of a family on its members will lose when there is disarray. According to the available data, Table No. 3 43.8 percent of the respondent’s family never discuses Distribution of respondents’ by a parent’s educational about the education of their wards. It was noted that qualification and occupation. illiterate parents struggled a lot to meet boot ends and not N=260 approached the school administration 66.9 percent. On the Qualification and Occupation of Number of Percentage other hand, 40.4 percent agreed large family size hindered Respondent’s Respondent’s (%) their educational prospects. About 61.2 percent felt that Illiterate 157 60.4 Father’s there was no proper guidance and motivation since the tribe Primary 77 29.6 educational Secondary was socially and economically backward and there was no qualification 26 10.0 and above reference for achievement in government sectors. There Illiterate 209 80.4 was a mixed reaction on the part of the parents when they Mother’s Primary 41 15.8 educational came to know that their wards were not turned to school Secondary qualification 10 3.8 regularly and finally out of school. Some parents kept and above silence (38.1%) and others (38.5%) encourage them to Source: Primary Data attend school. The inference drawn from the available data was large family size lead to economic insufficiency which We knew very well that education is the most accepted kept the parents at bay about wards’ education. means of change. the data highlighted that 60.4 per cent and 80.4 per cent of respondents’ father and mother were Table No. 5 illiterates. If the father had more primary education, the Peer influences and school dropouts. odds of staying in school for both girls and boys were Number of Peer Influences Percentage % higher, but if the father has no education their wards respondents dropouts were high(Janine Huisman, 2015). In earlier Having non- Having 211 81.2 research by Janine Huisman (2015), a mother’s education study friends. Not Having 49 18.8 with more knowledge were in a better position to keep their Friends Often 91 35.0 children in school. Occupations of parents 83.5% of the consume Rarely 74 28.5 intoxication. Never 95 36.5 respondent’s fathers were farmers. At the same time, a Parent not Who insisted 16 6.2 large proportion such as 95.4% of the respondent’s mother encouraging you drop out were also farmers. To conclude the majority of the Own decision 219 84.2 of school. respondent’s parents were illiterate for they could be not Peer influence 25 9.6 able to guide their wards properly. The children from a Source: Primary Data. single-parent family and a stepparent family are more likely to manifest the signs of early disengagement from schools Peer influences and pressure were considered as one of (Astone & McLanahan, 1991). the reasons for school dropouts. In the present study also, 81.2 percent of respondents have friends who didn’t turn Table No. 4 school. Jeremy Staff’s (2008) findings suggested that the Distribution of respondents by family-related reasons of peer status in bad crowds provided an additional force on school dropout. pulling young males away from schools. Among the peers, Family-related causes of school Number of Percentage 36.5 percent accustomed to intoxication never take them. dropout. Respondent’s (%) Regarding to become a dropout, 84.2 percent agreed that Family members Often 57 21.9 by own decision they kept away from school. The study and their Rarely 89 34.2 discussion about indicated that though there were more friends but they Never 114 43.8 education. never influence the respondents to turn as school dropouts. Parents’ regular Often 31 11.9 School-related factors of dropouts have profound contact with Rarely 55 21.2 implications for a subsequent individual that have given rise school Never 174 66.9 to conflicts between students and schools, the lack of administration. academic progress, regular failures, lack of teacher and Strongly 64 24.6 Agree student relationships merge in schools adapting heightened Agree 105 40.4 risks to become trapped of being a dropout. Large family size Disagree 81 31.2 Strongly Table No. 6 10 3.8 Disagree School environment and school dropouts Lack of career Agree 159 61.2 N=260 2217 IJSTR©2020 www.ijstr.org INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC & TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH VOLUME 9, ISSUE 01, JANUARY 2020 ISSN 2277-8616

School-related causes of school Numbers of Percentage % of adolescents who had more negative features were less dropout. respondents involved in school and were more disruptive (Berndt et al., Satisfied with Fully satisfied 86 33.1 1990). Surprisingly, less interaction among the family the facilities Partially 127 48.8 available in the satisfied members about the education of their children and not school. Not satisfied 47 18.1 regular contact with the school authority was found. The The relationship Cordial 161 61.9 pressing demands on economic fronts restricted the between So-so 68 26.2 parents to look after educational issues. The large family students and Strained 31 11.9 sizes of the respondents also were contributing factors to teachers. incidence of dropouts. However, when students keep in Never 87 33.5 contact with their schools they are more engaged in their Rarely 70 26.9 Sharing problem Sometimes 72 27.7 study Henrich, et al.,(2006). It was also noted that with teacher. Occasionally 21 8.1 education itself lead to dropout. The preference of the Often 10 3.8 mother tongue was found more relevant than foreign Difficulties in Strongly agree 39 15.0 languages like English. Explanation of the subject contents understanding Agree 165 63.5 in the mother tongue, according to respondents, will make the subject Disagree 49 18.8 the teaching-learning process very vivid but such kind of taught in the Strongly 7 2.7 experiences were very rare for them. class. Disagree

Source: Primary Data 6 CONCLUSION It was very ironical that school and academic ambiences Education is one of the prime development indicators. were found as one of the causes of school dropout. Providing education is a great challenge and the Accessibility was the main reason for school dropouts government strives to provide it through the Right to especially girls. Manipur has hillier terrain which puts some Education Act, 2009. But it is the unfortunate situation that hardships in reaching school. The availability of enrolled students leave school without completing school government school, curriculum and pedagogy also have its education. The study concludes that the socio-economic own share in the incidence of school dropouts. The facility conditions of the respondents’ families were more or less available especially lavatory was the push and pull factors. the same. Secondly, there was no single factor associated About 48.8 percent partially satisfied with the facilities at with the incidence of dropouts. The government would school and 61.9 percent had cordial relations with their provide more attention towards the state like Manipur, respective teachers but not shared their problems 33.5 which has hillier terrain inhabited by tribal people. percent. Understanding of the subject was the grave problem for 63.5 percent of the respondents. The student 7 REFERENCES capacity and textbooks mismatch is a determinant factor of [1] A, K., Brookmeyer, A, K., Fanti, & Henrich, C. C. being a dropout (Asrat Dagnew, 2017). Similarly, Srinivasan (2006). Schools, Parents, and Youth Violence: A (2019), argued that teachers who are not very well Multilevel, Ecological Analysis. Journal of Clinical educated, are only teachers who are willing to work in rural Child and Adolescent Psychology, 504 - 514. schools. [2] Astone, N. M., & McLanahan, S. S. (1991). Family Structure, Parental Practices and High School 5 DISCUSSIONS Completion. American Sociological Review, 56(3), The findings from this study proved that the socio-economic 309-320. Retrieved from factors were closely associated with dropouts. The result www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/2096106 fell in the line of previous studies as students from the lower [3] Cervantes, L. F. (1965). Family Background, socio-economic are more likely to leave school before Primary Relationships, and the High School completing their courses (Chinyoka, 2014; Rumberger, Dropout. Journal of Marriage and Family, 218-223. 1983; Jeremy 1989; Ekstrom et al, 1986). People live hand Retrieved from www.jstor.org/stable/350076 to mouth it cannot balance to save. The socio-family [4] Chinyoka, K. (2014). Causes of School Drop-Out adversity has a direct link to school dropout (Vitaro et al., among Ordinary Level Learners in a Resettlement 2001). Shaw (1982) and Hill (1979) suggested that the Area in Masvingo, Zimbabwe. Journal of Emerging parent’s educational status plays a role model to determine Trends in Educational Research and Policy Studies and boost their wards’ perseverance and determination in (JETERAPS), 294-300. Retrieved from their studies. After a family system of experiences, peer https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/eb3c/3d0f6dedc83 group turns out to be the second level of experience which a10d2e183e49c19990cc93efc.pdf? influenced school dropout. From family system a youth who [5] Durkheim, E. (1973). Moral Education. New York: A is not having his basic need for personal recognition, Division of Macmillan. friendly intercommunication and various pleasurable [6] Gouda, S., & T.V.Sekher. (2014). Factors Leading experiences turn out to peer groups to seek satisfaction for to School Dropouts in India: An Analysis of National their needs (Cervantes, 1965). Peer status has a negative Family Health Survey-3 Data. IOSR Journal of and monotonic effect on high school dropouts. Having more Research & Method in Education (IOSR-JRME), friends in school and more non-study friends tends to a 75-83. dropout. However, Staff & Kreager (2008) say that youths [7] Haralambos, & Holborn. (2008). Sociology Themes with greater numbers of friends are less dropouts than and Perspectives. Hammersmith London: youths with fewer friends. One of the causes in the study of HarperCollins Publishers Limited. school dropout was peer influence. Among the friendships 2218 IJSTR©2020 www.ijstr.org INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC & TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH VOLUME 9, ISSUE 01, JANUARY 2020 ISSN 2277-8616

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