A Study of Educational Status of Scheduled Caste Women in India

The study undertaken so far have largely concentrated in finding out the educational status of scheduled caste women in India. The expected caste population is distributed throughout the world. The only thing which is common with this caste is poverty and social disabilities specially in women due to which they remain ignored and backward since ages. They are compiled to lead miserable life for the last so many decades. Education of scheduled caste woman is the most powerful weapon through which they can change their status in Indian society. Education also brings about reduction in inequalities and also act as a mean to improve their status within the family and Society in order to encourage education Standard caste females were set up at all levels and the gender balance in providing and studying, classes, colleges and even universities was reduced exclusively for women in the country. To bring more scheduled caste girls, especially from BPL families, into the main stream of education. Government has rendered compromises in the form of free books, uniforms, boarding and accommodation, hostilities clothes, midday food, scholarship, free by cycles and so on. But despite all thease facility by the government they are not benefited so far. The scheduled caste women has failed to develop the strategy of development. The scheduled caste women one still far behind in the society.

Mishra (1982) studied ―effect of children`s perception of home and school environment on their scentific creativity. He investigated the effect of home and school environment on the development of scientific creativity ; his studies focused on various aspects of home environment (Lawfulness, nurturance, recompense, retribution, security, power, lack of luxury and social isolation). Saxsena, Vandana(1988) conducted a study entitled ―Impact of family relationship on adjustment, anxiety, Achievment – motivation, self-concept and academic achievement of high school students.‖ P. Ashalatha (2013) status of Dalit woman in india- caste and gender Based Exclusion. PARIPEX-Indian Journal of Research ISSN-2250-1991; Page no. 254-256

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY:

The present study aims to figure out how scheduled caste women educational status in India. The investigator used secondary data which are collected from different sources such as books, Journals, internet and government document.

to the Indian Act of 1935. In 1936, the British government released a scheduled caste order identifying those castes as Scheduled Caste in a number of the provinces for the first time. Prior to schedule caste were generally known as the the ―depressed class‖. Dr. Hutton, the then Indian Census Commissioner, regularly classified depressed groups and the list of scheduled castes released on the basis of a 1936 government order persisted with Dr. Hutton 's earlier list and the list drawn up in 1950. The constitution scheduled caste‘ order was revised version of the 1936 order. They reside at segregated places known as ―Harijan Tola‖ in towns and villages. Most significantly they suffer from malnutrition, disabilities and chronic health problem. Thus the scheduled caste constitutes an oppressed and disadvantaged groups in Indian society.

CASTE

Article 46 of the constitution specifies that "the State shall encourage and secure the weaker groups, in particular the scheduled and the Scheduled Tribal, with special treatment, education and economic interest, and from social inequality and other types of social exploitation. Article 330,332,335,338 to 342 and the fifth and sixth legislative schedules address unique requirements to meet the goals laid out in Article 46. Special provision After independence, the Government of India has taken number of the steps to strengthen the educational base of the persons belonging to the scheduled caste and schedule tribes. National education strategy (1986) and intervention programme (1992) were merged into the thrilling programme of the Department of Primary Education, Literature, and Secondary and Higher Education as follows. • Abolishing tuition fees at least to the maximum primary standard in all states in government schools. In fact, most of the States have abolished tuition fee for SC and ST students up to the senior secondary level. • Incentives like free textbook, uniform, stationary, school bags, etc. for these students. • The statutory (86th) dill, informed on 13 December 2002, provides for free and obligatory primary education as a basic right for all children from 6 to 14 years old. elementary school system and intends to provide all children aged 6 to 14 with valuable and reliable elementary education in 2010. The key attributes of the programme are: - (1) Emphasis on children, especially SC / ST and minority populations. (2) Return to school campus for girls out of school. (3) Free girl textbooks. (4) Special emphasis on creative girls' education initiatives. (5) Requirement of 50% female teachers. District Primary Education programme (DPEP) The scheme centres on vulnerable communities such as girls, SC / ST, working children, urban poor children, autistic children, etc. There are a specific strategies for girls and SC/ST, however, physical targets are fixed, in an integrated manner including coverage of these groups as well. National Programme for Education of Girls at Elementary level (NPEGEL) It provides additional elements to girls under advantaged / disadvantaged primary education. The policy is being launched in education backwards blocks (EBBSs), where rural female population is lower than the national average. The gender difference is greater than the national average as well as district blocks of at least 5% SC / ST population and female literacy is smaller than 10 percent as a result of 1991, according to SC / ST. Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalay – A private school is being established under Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya in difficult places, with primary boarding facilities for girls primarily from the SC , ST , OBC and minority. The system will only extend to such educationally defined backward blocks. Whereas rural female literacy is below the national average according to the 2001 census report and gender disparities are higher than the national average. Among these blocks, schools can be developed in areas with tribal urban population, literacy for women and for a large number of girls who have left school. Provisions in constitution: Article 15 - The states prohibits the discrimination on the ground of religion, race, cast, sex and place of birth. This article is the first article which talks about tribes. It provides that the state can make a special provision for the upliftment of some selected people and nothing in the constitution comes in contradiction to this provision. The article provides the foundation for the building of reservation in the constitutional framework. Article 17 - This article abolish the practice of of untouchability in any form to bring about the equality in social Circles. Article 330 - This article allows provision for reserving seats for intended castes in people's houses. This article guarantees perhaps the biggest promise for people of the Reserved class. Scheduled caste in the name of a quota under this article shall be reserved for both the expected and certain Scheduled Tribes in the house of the citizens. Article 338 - It has been provided in article 338 of the constitution that all the matter, relating to safeguard provided to scheduled caste, will be reported to this special officer, who in turn will report the same to the president. The scheduled caste are still far behind the general population in terms of literacy and formal education. The literacy percentage of scheduled caste in Bihar is only 18.43% while for the general population is it 38.54% according to 2011 census.

Gross Enrolment Ratios of Sc and total population Enrolment (2000-01 to 2011-12)

CONCLUSION:

Even after 73 years of Independence, many women particularly those from the dalit community, still fall under illiteracy and under developed. The Problem persist despite a lot of efforts done by governmental and non-governmental agencies in the development of women especially the scheduled caste women. The scheduled caste woman wherever she resides faces many different social, technological, political and educational problems. More efforts should be done by government for the upliftment of educational status of schudled caste woman.

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Research Scholar, Department of Education, L.N. Mithila University, Darbhanga (Bihar)