Higher education still below par in Attappady

Various government initiatives have not succeeded in ensuring higher education for the tribes.

By Anish Pathiyil

Attappady (Kerala): The tribes of Attappady continue to have a very low General Enrollment Ratio (GER) despite an improvement in the overall literacy rate of the region. The percentage of students dropping out of school at the end of tenth grade continues to be extremely high.

This trend continues even after many central and state governments schemes have been constituted, including scholarships and grants to encourage students from underprivileged tribal communities. The Scheduled Tribes Development Department has also invested in many tribal education institutions in Attappady.

The most important among these investments is the Model Residential School (MRS) for girls in the area. The school houses 210 students between 5th grade and 10th grade. The department has also established 16 pre-matric hostels in Attappady and one post-matric hostel for girls in Palakkad.

Despite these interventions, the secondary and higher secondary education among the tribals continues to be on the backfoot. The switch in the medium of education from Malayalam to English at the higher rungs of the education ladder also put-off many students from continuing their education.

“The lack of interest and language gap is a big issue for students here when it comes to higher education. For example, some students will choose the science stream for plus two and struggle with jargons in English, which is completely new for them,” said Panali, an educated member of the Kurumba tribe.

“The UN declaration says education should be in one’s own language. The tribes of Attappady are forced to study in Malayalam or English. Therefore there is a communication gap,” said Rajendra Prasad, President of NGO Thampu, which works for the welfare of tribes.

Kids being forced into earning for their families at an early age as well as the lack of jobs are other reasons for the hesitance in completing their education. This dearth of graduate-level jobs is further compounded by corruption in the allocation of jobs.

“The political parties are working to make sure that only people close to them are getting jobs. Even my sister’s husband lost out on a job in the police force because he was asked to pay 1 lakh rupees for the original certificate,” said Sangeeta, a degree-holder from Paloor. “The only hope for students here is PSC or to have good connections with the party members,” she added.

The onset of the pandemic further worsened the state of education. Students living in remote areas like Thudukki, Galasi, Murugala and Aanavaayi, where there was no mobile connectivity found it extremely difficult to keep up with their courses. Their failure to access online classes and submit assignments for evaluation have led many to give up on their education.