Certain things never seem to change. The fate of tribal students who have to stop their formal education midway still remains the same, even after repeated claims by the authorities that several projects have been envisaged to address the issue.
A recent finding by the Kerala Mahila Samakhya Society(KMSS), the resource centre that particularly focuses on the empowerment of women in the rural areas, during a visit to tribal hamlets revealed that the dropout rate among tribal students is a perennial issue that needs urgent intervention.
“The issue is grave among the tribal groups in Wayanad, Kasargod, Attappady and Nilambur. The reasons for this still remain to be addressed,” said Kerala Mahila Samakhya Society project director P E Usha.
According to the survey conducted by the Kerala Institute of Local Administration in association with local bodies and the Scheduled Tribe Welfare Department, the only comprehensive study on the tribals so far, which is yet to be published in a consolidated form, the average rate of dropout of the tribal children in the state is 36.73 per cent.
The age group which was under the purview of the survey was 6-25. At primary level, the dropout number was 15,364 (46.02 per cent). It was 12, 874 (38.56 per cent) at secondary level and 1,475 (4.42 per cent) at high school level. The dropout level among graduates, during the period which the survey covered, was 492 (1.47 per cent). It was 194 (0.58 per cent) at postgraduate level and 2,021 (6.05 per cent) among those who joined Certificate Diploma courses, survey found.