Author: Mayurakshi Basu
DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.70798/Bijmrd/04010003
Abstract: Educational participation among Scheduled Tribe (ST) girls in rural India continues to reflect persistent structural inequalities despite decades of policy intervention. This study examines the status, patterns, and determinants of educational participation among tribal girls in Purulia district of West Bengal using secondary data from the Census of India (2011), Annual Status of Education Report (ASER, 2023), District Information System for Education (DISE, 2021–2023), National Sample Survey Office (NSSO, 2019), and official policy documents of the Government of India. The analysis reveals substantial gender and community-based disparities in literacy, enrolment, learning outcomes, and retention. Economic insecurity, food scarcity, linguistic exclusion, infrastructural deficits, and entrenched gender norms emerge as critical barriers shaping educational trajectories. Simultaneously, initiatives such as Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS), scholarships, hostels for tribal girls, Samagra Shiksha, and nutrition–education convergence under ICDS and PM POSHAN serve as important institutional bridges. However, the study argues that these initiatives have achieved uneven outcomes due to implementation gaps and limited contextual adaptation. The paper concludes that strengthening educational participation among tribal girls requires localized, gender-responsive, and culturally grounded interventions that integrate education with nutrition, livelihood security, and community engagement.
Keywords: Tribal Girls, Structural inequalities, Educational Participation, Government Initiatives, Purulia District.
Page No: 17-25