CLUSTER APPROACH TO TRIBAL EDUCATION

Cluster approach to tribal education is a programme which is aims at addressing the

clusters with high tribal population. The objective of this programme is
 Ensure access by identifying the out of school children/ dropout children
mobilizing their parents
 Ensure regular attendance of enrolled children in the school by activating the
VEC/MTA and parents
 Creating a child friendly atmosphere in the school through adopting child
centered activities which are familiar to the children(games, music, art, craft,
tales, songs)
 Bridging the gap of home language and school language in the school
/classroom for better learning of tribal children
 Tapping community resources /( oral and materials resources) for curricular
support
 Developing school community interaction and responsibility PRIs/ and
traditional tribal leaders
 Creating a local resource pool in the CRC for tribal education

HOW TO IDENTIFY THE CLUSTER:

A cluster is consists of a group of schools under a CRC.There are many CRCs with
variations. Some CRCs in plain areas have no tribal issues and some CRCs are with
100% to 70 % tribal population. Situation of one CRC is different from another.
So while identifying the schools in the clusters you have to see the following issues:

1. village wise no. of out of school children in the Cluster( to address out of school
children)
2. Clusters wise schools with 100% to 50 % tribal children in schools (on
descending order( for enrolled children)
3. School with 100 % tribal children and the teacher belong to the same tribe,
speaking same language(language of the tribal child)
4. School with low enrollment/out of schools children /high dropouts
5. Weak or non- functional VECs /MTA
6. Irregularity of students and teachers in schooling

It is found that even the role of BRCs and CRCs in the context of tribal
areas is not clear to them for which the programmes specified for tribal children
in SSA or DPEP is not translated .

Therefore the purpose of the programme is to identify the CRCs with their issues
and problems and to take up some suitable activities for the school/ children and
teachers
 TARGET GROUPS:
1. Community(PRIs and traditional leaders)
2. all children
3. Teachers
4. CRCs/Resource persons from the community/MCS coordinators

HOW TO START:
Once the Cluster is identified on the basis of Child Census data, the CRC /BRC should
identify the schools with different situations. The situation may be as follows and the
suggested interventions may be undertaken.

No. School type Issues Interventions

1. Schools with *Gap of home language Teaching in language of the
100%- 90% tribal and school language children(L1)
children *Community awareness

2 Weak VECS/passive Role clarity and Orientation of VECs on

PRIs/non- responsibility of MLE
involvement of community and PRIs is Training of PRIs
traditional leaders not assessed Jati Mahasabha

3 High Dropouts Lack of follow up in Parental counseling

schools
Low achievement Lack of proper subject Analysis of LATS result:
competency identifying the groups
with low achievements,
grouping them subject
wise and remedial coaching
4 Teacher absenteeism Weak VEC VEC empowerment
5 Teachers skill/attitude Lack of training on Training on MLE
MLE/language Attitudinal training
6 Child unfriendly Lack of child friendly Activities:
atmosphere atmosphere Story telling festival
Art , drawing and craft
mela
Traditional games/sports
Singing , dance and music
(During all Saturday)

7 Lack of tapping local Engagement of tribal youth

resources(materials and as Educator/Community
oral) mobilisers/language
resource teacher for MLE
 Preparation of village wise
resource persons
8.
9.

ACTIVITIES SUGGESTED IN A CLUSTER:

Sl Major Intervention Sub-Activities Impleme Unit Cost place/time
no. ( training and nting
Guidelines to agency
CRCC) on
implementation of
each activity
1 COMMUNITY Jati Mahasabha3-4 CRCC 2000/- CRCBldg/ I
MOBILISATION tribal leaders from day
each village( 50-60 April_ June
people)
PRIs meet(30- CRCC 2000/- CRC/GP Hq/I
40)with some day
tribal leaders April-June
Parents meet schools 1000/- village/school
every month
Meeting with CRC 1000/- CRC/
ITDA/PTG Micro
Project
2. COLLECTION Preparation of CRCC 4000/- Youth
AND language materials: educators
DOCUMENTATI =Collection of oral and story
ON OF tradition (oral tales, tellers will
TRIBAL songs, riddles, collect the
MATERIALS myths, picture etc.) oral tradition
AND ORAL =Materials from the
TRADITION environment
3 PREPARATION Workshop CRCC 5000/- CRC hq / 6
OF TLM (MLE 8-9 tribal teachers days
based)(Big book, from schools under
listening stories, CRCs
story book, picture-
word card etc.)

4. Child Friendly #Story Telling CRCC Rs1500/- Selected

activities 4 festival X 4 progs. schools in
programmes in a #Traditional games the CRC
 year #Art and , drawing =Rs6000/-
( one programme and craft
ins selected school exhibition’
where children #Dance, songs and
from other schools music
can join)
5.
6. Room to Read Provision of tribal BRCC Rs. 4000/- Language
story book, songs, CRCC wise library
riddle book etc. for tribal
from the tribal children from
culture tribal context,
language
wise.
Total Rs.25000/
GUIDELINES IN DETAILS FOR CLUASTER ACTIVITIES:

 COMMUNITY MOBILISATION

COMMUNITY MOBILISATION ON TRIBAL AREA:

A HOLISTIC STRATEGIC PLAN

1. Orissa is a highly tribal populated State in the Country of India.There are 62

indigenous tribe in the state, and have 32 ethnic languages. Others have lost their
languages due to assimilation in the State language and culture.

Out of 314 Blocks there are 118 Blocks with high tribal population having at
least 50% tribal population. Tribal literacy and women literacy in these 118
Blocks are not more than 30%. The key issues are:

(i) Parents/community are first generation learners

(ii) People live below poverty line
(iii) Development schemes are mismatching with their needs – non contextual
(iv) Development planners don’t share people’s vision – recognizing local
knowledge and local resources.
(v) Health, social welfare, primary education, adult education is not priority
areas in tribal society.
(vi) Local resources and sustainable aspects of tribal society are not
incorporated in development process.
(vii) Planning is from the top and people do not plan for themselves.
(viii) Schemes are confined with the stakeholders and not shared with the target
groups – gap invisible.

2. Problems

(i) Education ? How much the community is aware of it?

.
(ii) Educational awareness is shaded with developmental programmes
(iii) Education is not a priority among the tribalpeople
(iv) People are not involved in schooling process
(v) Language is a barrier in adopting the new knowledge imparted by the
stakeholders
(vi) lack of local mechanism to implement the education, information and
communication in tribal areas.
3. Objectives

(i) To reorient the people about their roles and responsibilities for
developmental programmes and schemes.
(ii) To bridge the gap between people and the stake holders.
(iii) To recognise peoples own development agenda and to know their own
perception of development.
(iv) To understand and prioritize people’s immediate need and to create a
platform where they can decide their priority.
(v) To facilitate the community to develop a plan for involving themselves
with the stakeholders to take steps, define roles and take responsibility in
the village.
(vi) To involve children, youth, adults and women in the educational
programme.
(vii) To develop a plan as to why and how the agencies of educational
development are at work and to help them..
(viii) To sensitize the community to control their social agencies in the village
by interpersonal communication with the stakeholders.
(ix) To make aware of the community that education is a major weapon to
fight against social injustice
(x) To make sure that knowing is life, and ignorance is miseries
(xi) To utilise the local resources for IEC (Jati Mahasabha, local festivals,
Bazars, mandaghar, priest/village headman, NGO, Church etc.)

Context:(Strength and Weaknesses)

Strength

Tribal community has its own sustainable strength in promoting their economic
life and social order. They have their natural habitat with an integrated worldview, which
enrich their mind with nature and culture. At the same time in material world, tribal
community is obsessed with their ideology which is harmful for their life . This
awareness is essential.

The basic human resources

(i) Tribal communities have their social control and social organisation – may
it be traditional, but disciplined.
(ii) Decision is taken unanimously – leader is not imposing - individual
opinion is considered – democratic value is present in their self-regulated
village administration. Village headman and priest play the role of leader.
(iii) Shared understanding of life – created by community and shared by them
– no violation.
(iv) Women are more active, laborious, takes part in decision making, controls
family and market economy.
(v) No non-literate person ever thinks of being illiterate, this is due to the
scope that is not created. Parents always want the security of their
children
(vi) Traditional informal knowledge is rich in tribal society which is a source
to understand the geography, history, society, language, culture and the
universe as a whole, but this knowledge is not associated with the
developmental aspects. Traditional social organizations and caste
organisation play a major role to keep up the caste in development
process.
(vii) The gap of stakeholders and the community is manifold. The cause of
non-acceptance of new schemes by the community is to be understood by
the stake holders. Communities want sustainable development in its own
way. They decide, take responsibility, share the opinion, agree or disagree
to a issue and strengthen their family and society.

Weakness

(i) Development planners and the implementers make- belief on tribal

community is a major hindrance.
(ii) Non-contextual planning.
(iii) Mismatch between people’s plan, aspiration and the given scheme.
(iv) Some beliefs, customs, practices current among the tribal people
creates problems in adopting new plans.
(v) The community’s perception and acceptance on implementers
work, (purpose and means of conducting a meeting by the stake
holders in a village)
(vi) Target of the community differs from the target of the
planners/implementers
 STAKEHOLDERS AT DIFFERENT LEVEL.

Level Stakeholders
State State Project Office OPEPA Media and Tribal unit,
District 1. DPC/DIS/DMEO/DWO/DSWO/DLO

2. DMEO,/CRC/TRG//TC/GC/IED/MIS/Individual/
Groups
Block 1.BDO, S.I. of Schools,BRC CDPO, WEO, Anganwadi Workers,
Active Teachers, NGOs/Cultural Organisation,
CRCs/Sarpanch/Panchayat Samiti Chairman, Individuals
Village Tribal wise “Jati Kutum”
(group of village) Jati Mahasabha

Cluster of Villages - “Panchwa” (5 villages)

Cluster of Villages – “Barapalli” (12 villages)
Cluster of Villages - Chak/Mutha – more than 12
where the clan/tribe meet once
a year.
- VEC, MTA, CRCs/Youth Sangh
- Youths (Tribal youths to be involved)
- Village headman, Priests, Artisan, musician..
 Providing access to the opportunity and access to the information.

There is a need for building effective strategies to help retention of tribal children.
Education is a priority area for many of the poor and tribal families. Education is
important to change their life style. This is also related to their social security . Tribal
people want to change their life style. But don’t know how to change it and who
will help them in the change. They also don’t know how to demand for their
education. They don’t have any information on the schemes implemented by the
Govt.So a systematic effort has to be made to address the basic problem of such families
and to bring them under the fold of educational development.

There is a need to mobilize the leaders of tribal community and also those of
Scheduled Castes. These leaders have to be trained to look into the educational issues of
their own community. They have to make effort by approaching families to send their
children to school. They could also become link persons to address the various issues in
bringing the process of education of children belonging to these families.

In this regard, following steps need to be taken up:

1. Tribal Co-ordinator will identify 4 – 8 effective tribal leaders who can

influence the community in each Block.
2. At the district level 4 – 5 leaders identified among the persons from the
Block level could become the resource persons. They could be trained at
State office along with Tribal Co-ordinator.
3. These resource persons in turn should take up the training of Block level
identified tribal leaders. This training could help at the district level and
Tribal Co-ordinator could organise the same.
4. During this period one educated tribal youth in each Gram Panchayat
could be identified who is educated and have good communication skills.

Tribal educated youth identified at each Gram Panchayat could be trained

at the Block level along with BRC Co-ordinators and CRC Co-ordinators.

5. Each educated tribal youth at Gram Panchayat level will build up a net
work in each village and make contact with local persons specially the
ladies group, youth club, VEC of the concerned village. This networking
can be made to identify people from community who can help in
mobilising the out of school tribal and scheduled caste children.
Strategies

The following strategies could be utilised for mobilisation of tribal community.

After establishing a networking as discussed above strategy need to be formed as

to how to make use of resource persons trained at various levels. The strategies should be
discussed during the training and suggestions of resource persons could be taken for
making it more effective and result oriented.

1. The leaders of tribal community should call a convention of people of

their community at each Gram Panchayat level of all the eligible parents
having children in the age group of 0 – 14 years. They should discuss the
various issues effecting their life and how education can help in improving
the quality of their life in the coming years. There should not be a
monologue/lecture. Rather it should be an interactive discussion between
the tribal community and their leaders.
2. During this interaction at Gram Panchayat level activities could be
designed to be given to each group so that they become involved in the
interaction process. This should be done so as to improve the
communication and acceptance of idea. The verbal communication could
be helpful but it also has its own limitation. Their activities have to be
devised before hand so that each person who attend this programme take
active part in the activity. Activity should also make them realise the
importance of education.
3. In the evening, culture groups can present programme like Nukkad Natak,
Git Kudia, Puppet show etc. so that the various acts of ignorance could be
highlighted. This culture programme should also give positive stimulus to
the tribal people, motivating them to send their children to schools.
4. In many tribal communities there is a strong belief in taking oath about to
do or not to do work. Such things are generally decided in Jati
Mahasabhas. District may like to convene such a meeting where they may
pass a resolution or take an oath to send children of their own community
to the school for continuous five years period of primary education
(Sapath Kriya).
5. The tribal educated youth at Gram Panchayat level should regularly
conduct meeting in each village as to follow up. He should build contact
with local youth clubs, Mahila Mandals etc. He should also interact with
teachers and help them in getting the tribal children enrolled and retain in
schools.

Other motivation strategies like

 (a) Conducting parent children story telling festival.
(b) The Git Kudia and the Kin Kin Mar, Katabir Mar may be invited in
each village with 50 – 60 children, story telling session may
continue for 1 – 2 days. It may also be considered to prepare one
sample story telling festival, video recording and exhibit the same
in different areas.
6. Audiocassettes could be prepared in the local tribal languages consisting
of motivational songs for parents and children. Similarly, audiocassettes
of children’s rhyme of the local language should also be prepared.

These cassettes could be used for publicity and mobilisation campaign.

7. Haat is an important place where tribal people gather. Playing of audio

and videocassettes in the Haat, staging of drama, puppet show etc. may be
helpful.

8. Many communities have large dance performance groups.For example,

Dhangidi Dance Group/ or Danda dance group/ Ghumra dance group etc..
In this the dances people perform without much preparation. After such
groups could be identified and trained they could sing motivational songs
of primary education their respective villages. For this on a fixed day in a
week for when the educated tribal youth visit that village this programme
could be arranged.

9. Tele conferencing on meeting of tribal leaders could be arranged where

resource persons from among their own community could talk to a large
section of their own community using the medium of satellite and T.V.

10. A voluntary resource group could be identified at the CRC could help in
keeping a track of drop out and out of school children in their respective
areas.

The idea is to track each SC/ST children use of effective, communication strategy
to get them back to school. During this process the various issues of tribal problems like
land related issues, poverty, organisation of attitudinal change etc. could also be
addressed with the help of this campaign.

Initially, this campaign could be taken up for a period of one month so as to see its
effectiveness and also the sincerity of motivation of resource persons.
 Activities proposed for IEC: Local singers writers,geet kudia etc may be
invited to the BRC/ District HQ for three- four days to prepare awareness
materials(songs/ slogans/ posters etc.) for dissemination.

Preparation of langaue materials in different tribal languages on health, water

sanitation, and develop safe health habits.

 COLLECTION OF LANGUAGE MATERIALS(ATTACHED FORMAT)

 PREPARATION OF TRIBAL-ORIYA TLM( SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES)

Bridge language inventory

Big book ( in tribal and Oriya)
Listening story( childrens oral story)
Object- word card
Learning chart ( one tribal story: 4-5 sequential pictures)
Picture Riddle book
Conversational chart
Tribal songs/ tales( at least 4-10 lines) with Oriya translation

 CHILD FRIENDLY ACTIVITIES( GUIDELINES)

 The purpose of the child friendly activities is to explore the multifaceted
talents among the children in the CRCs. Children’s interest in the
following activities may be explored by the teachers and they can be invited
from each school under the CRCs.
 Each activity can be adopted in a school. The CRCC will identify four
schools to conduct four different activities as followings
School- I: Story Telling festival/creating new stories
1. School -2:Traditional games / motor development/ learning
out comes
2. School- 3:Preparation of Art and , drawing and craft
School- 4:Dance, songs and music
  READINGMATERIALS FORCRC/SCHOOLS (BOOKS ON TRIBAL
TALES. SONGS/RIDDLES)

ENGAGEMENT OF TRIBAL YOUTH EDUCATOR/COMMUNITY

MOBILISERS IN CLUSTERS

Educated tribal youths are the resource in tribal community. They can be
the community mobilisers and educators provided they are given opportunity.
Their role will be volunteer to up bring their society as well as to develop their
leadership on educational implementation.

Power of an untapped community resource: Youth Educator

Why to involve them?

 Empowering the youth in their community

 Helping kids success, learning leadership,improvedecision making
 Improve school climate
 Improved youthful energy
 Increase commitment to the education gain a stronger sense of connectedness
when serving