Challenges that tribal children face while getting education

How often has your child complained about not liking the food you pack for their tiffin? When was the last time your child threw a temper tantrum for not getting the same pen that their classmate has? How many times have they acted sick not to attend school? 

These are one of the many issues any child from a middle-class family faces. Unfortunately, children from tribes cannot afford any of these wealthy problems as they face problems that are highly disconcerting, heartbreaking and unjust for any child to grow with.

Location of village

Tribes are located afar from facilities like schools. Their means of transport are not as convenient as that of urban areas. The places where they reside have obstacles of various sorts. Apart from trees and plantations stemmed all over the place; rough roads are also among one of the many troubles they face.

Parental attitude

Parents of tribal children don’t have the slightest idea of how significant education is. It is embedded deep in their mindset that any sort of education is time-consuming and unresourceful. They aren’t at fault as they come from an upbringing where the fundamental of society revolves mainly around nourishments and how to acquire them. In today’s day and age, that isn’t satisfactory for any individual. 

Economic condition

A vast majority of individuals from tribes are unemployed and worried about their child’s next meal. Parents can’t provide adequately for their children to eat. Hence, the idea of educating them seems farfetched. Among the few that are employed, a majority of them don’t get paid enough to give their loved ones the necessities they deserve.

Language barrier

Conversing with tribes and conveying a message to them is very exasperating. They aren’t accustomed to any common languages and hence have to be handled very meticulously. Communication is at the core of building trust among individuals from varied backgrounds. Thus creating a bond among these individuals is of extreme intricacy. 

Drawbacks with teachers

Teachers from tribal areas have a far-reaching problem of absenteeism, and this affects the quality of education for the students that are attending school and demotivates them from attending regularly. The teachers by themselves have to go through strenuous conditions to get to the schools. Their pay hardly compensates for any of these setbacks. Apart from economic issues, teachers get drained mentally as each teacher has to take responsibility for every one of their student’s attendance.

Lack of cooperation 

The welfare department that aids the tribes with necessary means of food and essentials is not very cooperative with the education department of the tribes. Many of this affects the students that wish to attend school and discourages them from being regular. The lack of organized behaviour and no sense of monitoring is among the root causes of these issues. The consequences of these problems are faced by children that already have enough of a burden on themselves.

SHIVAA NGO has been constantly working towards improving the lives of these tribal children with a vision of turning them into contributing citizens of the society. You can join us in this great cause by becoming a volunteer and helping the tribal children of Wada get the quality education they deserve. For more information on volunteering visit: https://www.shivaa.org/be-a-part/