B Rangaiah
Pondicherry University, Puducherry
Theja Prabhakar
VMRF, AVMC, Puducherry
Thirumeni D
Pondicherry University, Puducherry
Srikanth
Deed, Hunusur
Meena Chilaka
Pondicherry University
Pages:433-440
Formal education is regarded as highly significant for each and everyone in the society.
Formal education uplifts people in society, and socio-economic elevation is the hallmark
of formal education. The same is widely regarded in tribal communities that formal
education is the pathway for economic and social upliftment. Nevertheless, often for
the tribal communities, formal education creates cultural disconnection due to its nature.
The present study attempted to understand the situation in Jenu Kurubas to find whether
the formal education is a rout to socio-economic transformation or creates an identity
crisis by disconnecting from their cultural roots. The present paper attempts to analyse
the structural, cultural, and pedagogical barriers in their formal education. Whether the
formal education is empowerment or are there any barriers as a result of cultural
dilemmas. This qualitative study interviewed tribal people and conducted focus group
discussions. The findings of this study revealed that the language barriers, culturally
unconnected curricula, economic burden, discrimination embedded in the society,
significantly hinders the smooth assimilation into the formal education. The major reason
that tribal feel alienated is their rich indigenous knowledge, their family systems and
customs, their relationship with each other, which do not gel with the formal education.
This paper argues that the formal education should be more inclusive of the tribal
people, particularly taking their culture, social identity and above all the education not
happening in their mother tongue makes tribal children alienated to the formal education.
The education system, particularly for tribal children should be made more experiential,
and culturally oriented rather than creating a curriculum that disconnects the pupils
from their day-to-day experience