Mukt Shabd Journal ISSN NO : 2347-3150 A Study on Challenges and Issues in the Access of Education among the ‘Narikuravar’ Community Children in Pudukkottai District Tamil Nadu S.Shridevi Assistant Professor, Dept. Of Visual Communication, Vels Institute of Science, Technology & Advanced Studies, ABSTRACT The ‘Naikuravar’ community is one of the backward and indigenous nomadic communities in Tamil Nadu. This community is one of the most underprivileged communities in the society. There are many problems that are faced by the community including illiteracy, poverty, unemployment, child marriage, alcoholism, domestic violence, lack of sanitation, unhygienic health practices and the like. Since child marriage highly prevalent in this community, children discontinue from their studies after attaining puberty. Based on literatures it can be ascertained that education has the power to transform the society and promotes community development. In India, the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act is an Act of the parliament of India enacted on 4th August 2009. After this, many children from various communities were benefitted from this scheme. The students were given the basic materials like books, notes, school uniforms and a mid day meal. Even after all these, there are issues which prevent the children get their basic right of education. This study presents the factors that hinder the process of education to this underprivileged community. This study employed qualitative method of research. It incorporates intensive interviews with the key informants and focus group discussion with the children in the community. The study revealed that, the students are facing problems that need to be addressed by the teachers and promote a friendly learning atmosphere. The contributions towards the growth of the underprivileged community children will enable them to learn and develop themselves. This will help to change the face of an underprivileged community to an empowered community in the society. The need to have inclusive policies for the underprivileged indigenous communities especially in the education sector is the need of the hour and the society should change its perspective towards this community for their better future. Keywords: Narikuravar community, Education, Indigenous community, Barriers to the education. 1. INTRODUCTION The ‘Narikuravar’ community is one of the indigenous communities in Tamil Nadu. They are known for their hunting skills which have given their name of their community. Since they were prohibited from hunting, they took other alternatives for their survival like selling, beaded ornaments, plastic commodities, safety pins, combs and the like. This community speak ‘Vagriboli’ language which is called as a mixture language as it encompasses Indo- Dravidian languages. They have their own lifestyle and belief system. They were denotified in the year 1952. There are many theories that are associated with their migration to the southern India. For eg. Some believe that they were the Rajput warriors who came to south after the mughal invasion; others believe that they were the Maratha warriors who were forced to settle in the mountain regions due to mughal invasions. In 1966, Wreth and Fraser the authorities of the Gypsy community in Europe claimed that Domar community in Rajasthan is the ancestors of the Gypsy community in Europe who are called as ‘Roma or Romanies’. Edgar Thurston believed that they are related to the Khonds of Orissa. Even though they are seen as a one community from the outside, there are many sub divisions within them. Mainly there are two groups one is buffalo sacrifiers and another one is goat sacrifiers. They marry with the opposite community bride or groom. Each ‘Narikuravar’ clan has a holy bundle which has the blood of the sacrificed animal and the Idol of their God/Goddess. There are many problems faced by the communities. They are considered as untouchables by the other community member due to their unhygienic looks. They are not allowed to use the streets that are inhabited by the other upper caste members. They face scarcity of the resources, periods of hunger, debt bondage for longer period and the like. Child marriage can be considered as a major barrier to the development of the community. Children attend the Panchayat Union Primary School in their respective places. Only a handful of the students are able to complete their secondary education. Due to the problems faced by the children they are not worried much about their lack of access to their education. The study gives a children’s perspective and also the teacher’s perspective in the process of getting education. Volume IX, Issue V, MAY/2020 Page No : 5290 Mukt Shabd Journal ISSN NO : 2347-3150 1.1 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDIES 1.To understand the factors that motivate the students to attend the school in their settlement. 2. To check the factors that hinders them from attending the school in their settlement. 3.To recommend the solutions for the making the students to attend the school in their settlement. 2. LITERATURE REVIEW According to Chandru and Thirumalaisamy (2019), the lifestyle of the ‘Narikuravar’ community is changed. It is noted that many children in this community are unable to continue their studies due to the unavailability of the scholarships. This community is facing poverty for a long period of time which leads them to hunger in worst situations. In such cases, the students can’t be educated as they send them to work for their survival. Many young children can be seen selling safety pins denoting their hunger. They also lack interest in their studies. There are many self help groups that are helping their community for their development. Only few women are benefitted from this option. The researcher believes that only few women are aware of this. According to a Study by D. Cauchie and M. Bruyninckx (2013), is an empirical analysis within an institution called “APRES School”. It was founded in 2009 by a French association. This aims to promote education to the ‘Narikuravar’ community. The study reveals one of the important challenges that are faced by the workers is that the intercultural communication barriers. Since the mother tongue of the ‘Narikuravar’ community is ‘Vaagriboli’, the teachers who usually teach have the mother tongue of Tamil. This leads to the communication barrier. It reveals that the intercultural communication between the students and the teachers is one of the identified difficulties in imparting the education. According to Dr. J. Jayachithra (2016), there are many Govt. schemes that are available for such communities. Due to lack of awareness, they couldn’t avail them. There should be a proper channel that could lead the schemes to such communities. There are chances of being politically exploited by the middlemen and the so called brokers. Proper awareness on their democratic ideas must be made. The inclusive policy must be made stronger so that such communities can have a contact with the mainstream society. The children should be able to mingle with the other community children in the school so they can easily adopt themselves to survive in the main stream society. The situation of this community is very pathetic. There are various forms of discriminations that are faced by the community. The researcher stated that “What we need is a commitment strategic system of Social Welfare Administration to ensure that the ‘Narikuravar’ Community has a focussed intervention to bring them out of their existing cycle of poverty and deprivation. If the ‘Narikuravar’ Community has to be given a fair chance to develop themselves and lead a socially satisfactory life, then there must be a concerted effort on the part of the Government, Civic Organizations to play an enabling role in their uplift to an Empowered Status in the Society”. Muhammed Atheeque PP, Rajathurai Nishanthi (2016), the community has a unique lifestyle. It is revealed that major number of the community members has completed their primary education. There are many factors that hinder their education like poverty, child marriage and lack of awareness of education and the like. The researchers stated that the monthly income of the ‘Narikuravar’ community is four thousand which presents their social and financial situation in the society. For the development of this community the researchers presented their idea that vocational courses and training will help the community for their development. Dr. J. Jayachithra (2019), did a study on enrollment of ‘Narikuravar’ students in primary school. The researcher stated that there is a gradual increase in the enrollment of ‘Narikuravar’ children in every year. Proper awareness program on education by the Government is insisted. The ‘Narikuravar’ community holds their own belief system in regard to the education. This will change if the community is aware of the potential of the power of education. The researcher also stressed that the education is important factor for the social, moral, cultural and economic development. Francesco Burchi (2006), the researcher argues that the education is proved theoretically and empirically for promoting the empowerment. The Volume IX, Issue V, MAY/2020 Page No : 5291 Mukt Shabd Journal ISSN NO : 2347-3150 researcher stated that the education contributes to the economic growth of a community and if affects the lives of the community in a positive manner. According to the researcher, the Human Development Approach gives an additional justification