My presentation at the 2015 Annual Conference of the Comparative and International Education Society. The focus was on achievement gap and educational attainment in the marginalized societies in Arunachal Pradesh, India.
Measures of Central Tendency: Mean, Median and Mode
CIES 2015
1. Bridging the gap- Is education an equalizer in
reducing gender and class inequality in the
tribal societies of Arunachal Pradesh, India?
Deepti Gupta
New York University
@Deept1Gupta
Washington DC
March 12, 2015
8. Methodology
Primary
Field trips in East Kameng
Seppa town
ChayangTajo
Margingla
Bana
Mebua
Participatory fields methods
Semi structured interviews
Secondary
Literature Review
Longitudinal Studies
8
9. Research Questions
Education as a harbinger of social equality, equitable
growth and economic development.
What has been the impact of education in fostering
economic development and growth in predominantly tribal
Arunachal Pradesh?
Do the formal concepts of education deprecate the
indigenous knowledge systems in these tribal societies?
9
10. Education Structure & Programs
Informal Learning Institutions
Traditional systems of knowledge
Oral history and social inheritance
Formal Educational Institutions
Public school system
Private schools
Other affiliations
Government Programs and Interventions
Federal Gov’t- Sarva Sishka Abhiyan
State Gov’t initiatives- VIDYA, Guide
10
22. 22
Source: Survey, n=12
The tribals have their own traditional knowledge. Do you
feel tribal culture and their knowledge systems should
become a part of your curriculum?
This is one thing that is
lacking in our whole
education system. Actually
we are all ready late, there
are many things that have
vanished. Some traditional
knowledge of art, craft,
sculpting, music must be
included in the education
curriculum.
We are the people of Arunachal
Pradesh and its our duty to make
our state proud by having
knowledge about our traditional
culture, customs etc… we help us
to integrate with other states.
Toyir Bagra
Banta Natung
Yes...as there is a saying
“Loss of culture is an loss of
identity.”
Hofe Dada
23. Education at Crossroads?
Heterogeneous Population- Remedial Education?
In the Towns clear distinction, with poor kids going to gov’t schools, and rich
kids in private
Standardized Curriculum-Is that relevant?
English language, kids out of their comfort zone and can’t cope up with
changed face of education.
Things beyond comprehension- e.g teaching of 21st
century skills, Benefits of
science and technology- can’t comprehend the benefits
Access but Quality
Middle class students- lack electricity, resources
Poor Kids- no structured time for studies, help in households
Teacher training quality, absenteeism, attitudes
23
24. The Way Ahead
Teacher motivation, training and incentives need to
be structured aptly
Remedial education programs to get the rural areas
at par with the urban and mainstream
Education Quality- Books, teaching aids and basic
facilities to improve student outcomes
Curriculum- Localize curriculum design to include
elements of IKS
Leveraging traditions and culture to design
development programs
24
25. Thank You
My Students
Banta Natung
Minu Blayu
Jimmy Sonam
Toyir Bagra
Pungnee Roji
Beyong
Hofe Dada
Aakash singh
Lino Thomas
Joymoni Beyong
Tadung Taku
In Arunachal Pradesh
Jose Zacariah
Mohan Singh
PN Joshi
Father Thomas
Swapan Dey
At NYU
Prof Dana Burde
Prof Hua-Yu
Sebastian Cherng
25
Editor's Notes
I am glad to be here and thanks to CIES for the opportunity. In the next few minutes, I will try and share my experiences and learning in Arunachal Pradesh - a remote, hilly, forested and tribal state in NE India.
A picture is worth more than a thousand reports, and I wanted to take you through this journey- a longitudinal research over 10 years.
Sulung Tribe (Puroiks) Settlement of Sanche Sulung
This is a photo of a youth from Bangni tribe.
If you look closer at the picture, his sword case is made of Bear skin, his headgear of Hornbill beak and a necklace of Leopard tooth. Yet he is wearing a jeans and jacket.
This picture depicts the youth at an interesting intersection of modernity and traditions.
This context provides background to my research and observations of how in these tribal societies, Education is or can be a harbinger of social change?
Key thing to note is
Low literacy rates
Dependence on primary sector of economy as hunter gathers and shifting cultivation
The map shows the location of the state in NE corner of India, bordering Bhutan to West, China to the North and East, and Myanmar to South.
The map also shows the districts in the states and superimposed in red are the major tribes and ethnic groups, Comprising of 26 major tribes and 100+ sub groups
The focus in this paper is East Kameng District, HQ Seppa, one of the least literate and backward district of the state.
Nishi Long House- Family is the social unit- which is the foundation of learning and development- fromagricultural seasons, hunting, mating calls- all the learning is around the hearth-
Hearth is the center of learning, but these traditions are under threat.
Informal Learning Institutions pre-dominate in these tribal communities.
Loss of IKS, on the verge of getting lost
Younger generation towards monetized economy
Traditional systems not documented, fragmented repositories
Scientific community decries, but a cultural practice and way of their life
Through this research, we wanted to learn how the state and people have come to terms with this policy, in particular the impact on social, cultural, economic and educational set up. With our experience working and living in this remote state for over 5 years, we devised this research.
The education system in the state and district follows the high level pattern as shown
Informal learning and IKS
Formal school system- private and public
Federal and Sate government interventions
My focus is formal education institutions and I would like to compare and contrast a private and public school in sub-urban and rural setting to address my research question.
Picture of the school and my student
School Infrastructure, Facilities, reading material, pen and pencil
English teaching emphasis
Also social and emotional development of the students
Teachers there, not formally trained, but integrated well with the tribal students and engaged in teaching and learning by creating right positive environment.
Only trained teacher around, Involved in Teacher’s training, mentorship, curriculum design
School band at the district annual day
Integrated learning and all around development
Journey of accomplishment of one of my students.
As I look back, this kid is now doing engineering in India and is a self made fiction author
Learning Environment
Failing to connect- language, culture and traditions