Presented at the 10th Asia-Pacific RCE Meeting, 3 November, 2017, New Delhi, India

2. CEE Himalaya (IHR)

3. States No. of Districts
Jammu and Kashmir 22
Himachal Pradesh 12
Uttarakhand 13
West Bengal (only hill district) 1
Sikkim 4
Arunachal Pradesh 19
Assam (only hill districts) 3
Manipur 9
Meghalaya 11
Mizoram 8
Nagaland 11
Tripura 8
Total (12) 121

4. Population of Nomadic Tribes (Census of India 2011)
Households Population
Himachal Pradesh
Bhot, Bodh 6,192 27,191
Gaddi 37,161 178,130
Gujjar 17,354 92,547
Kanaura, Kinnara 13,368 50,994
Jammu and Kashmir
Bakarwal 21,148 113,198
Bot, Boto 18,167 91,495
Gaddi 8,712 46,489
Gujjar 177,353 980,654
Uttarakhand
Bhotia 10,534 39,106

8. ‘Pastoralism’
is an important practice of many
traditional mountain societies.
This life style and livelihood is
• Unique,
• Remarkable and
• Interesting

18. The strengths of the knowledge systems of the
Pastoral communities
1. Ethno-veterinary practices
2. Pharmacopoeia for the herds and themselves
3. Knowledge of indigenous breeds
4. Transmission of ITK from generation to
generation, a testament to a system of education
that has remained viable even till today

19. For pedagogical & policy purposes it will help determine
1. the intellectual foundations of such knowledge and
how it is both recorded and remembered
2. its practice
3. the social learning that surrounds herding during
transhumance
4. the nomadic practice as adaptive management by
the tribal groups of climatic and environmental
changes,
5. the roles of lore and oral history in the maintenance
of their knowledge

20. United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
(UNDRIP) adopted September 2007 in particular its articles 14 and 31
will be particularly relevant to the nature and scope of our programme,
in particular the aspects about
Fostering recognition of the systems of learning that have till date
enabled such knowledge to continue to be transmitted and employed,
and also to the places and routes that they have long remained in and
journeyed between, thereby
Learning the flora and fauna, the patterns of water and climate, their
conservation and use
Always observing principles of sustainability which seek to ensure that
the resources so essential to them remain for the season to come and
thereafter.

21. Article 14
"Indigenous peoples have the right to establish and
control their educational systems and institutions providing
education in their own languages, in a manner appropriate
to their cultural methods of teaching and learning"
Article 31
"Indigenous peoples have the right to maintain, control,
protect and develop their cultural heritage, traditional
knowledge and traditional cultural expressions, as well as
the manifestations of their sciences, technologies and
cultures, including human and genetic resources, seeds,
medicines, knowledge of the properties of fauna and flora,
oral traditions, literatures, designs, sports and traditional
games and visual and performing arts".

22. Jammu & Kashmir
Number of Mobile Schools (as on 2015)
01 Kashmir division 287
02 Jammu division 321
Total 608

26. The objectives of a 'schools that learn, journeys that teach' programme
1. Learn the movements and concerns of the transhumance societies more
closely, gather appropriate baseline data, to collaboratively approach a method
of education that is relevant.
2. Learn the successes and failures of past attempts by state government and
public services to provide education to Gujjars and Bakarwal tribes in Jammu &
Kashmir.
3. Based on the assessments above, to help develop a framework using which
syllabus and curriculum relevant for the children of Gujjars and Bakarwal in
Jammu and Kashmir can be formed.
4. To conceive training module for teachers who must be both motivated to
educate the children of Gujjars and Bakarwals and who are physically and
socially capable of accompanying the nomadic communities during their
seasonal migration.
5. To incorporate the indigenous knowledge of the tradition bearers - such as their
understanding of natural resource management, environment and climatic
change - into a draft curriculum. The transhumant communities are well versed
in navigation, direction, weather patterns, local biodiversity, animal behaviour,
veterinarian and human health, survival techniques in isolated rugged & difficult
terrain, disaster management, safety and security of their human beings and the
animals.

27. Contd..
The objectives
6. The footprint of these communities is very small and their lifestyles
environment friendly. It will be interesting to find out what modern
education system and the community engaged in ESD can learn from
these societies and what ESD can offer to these societies.
7. Document good practices of these societies in the form of printed, short
video films, photographs etc.
8. To develop recommendations that assist and guide ministries of
education and school systems towards enlarging the scope of their
education systems in a manner that safeguards the valuable eco-social
practices of the tribal communities.

28. Target Groups
The following are important stakeholders who will be addressed
through this project.
1. Gujjar and Bakarwal community (children, youth and their
parents);
2. Teachers of schools where tribal children are enrolled;
3. Officials of Education Department and Sarva Siksha Abhiyan
(SSA)
4. Leaders of Nomadic Tribes communities and Government
Departments concerned with Tribal affairs
5. Forest and Revenue Departments for the matters of allotments
of high altitude pasturelands to Gujjars & Bakarwals and other
nomadic tribes

29. Activities proposed under the Project
1. Base Line Data Collection
2. Assessing and reviewing current status of education being provided to
transhumance society
3. Analyzing the attitudes and opinions of transhumance society on current
education system as well as their expectations from the education being
provided to them Firming Up Proposed Project Objectives,
Methodologies and S
4. haring of Progress and Experience
5. Documentation of Good Practices and Indigenous Knowledge
6. Development of appropriate curriculum and syllabus for Gujjar and
Bakarwal communities
7. Developing recommendation on education system for transhumance
society in general

30. Significant Achievements of the Project
1. Quality of education improved in mobile schools in J&K.
2. School and education conditions improved for more than 1500-2500 children
of Gujjar and Bakarwal communities in J&K.
3. More than 6000-10,000 people from Gujjar and Bakarwal communities
addressed under the project for their welfare, better quality of life and quality of
environment.
4. A set of recommendations to improve the education system for tribal
communities.
5. Formulation of appropriate syllabus and curriculum for mobile schools
operating in J&K which will be useful to other such communities as well
6. Teachers' Training Module on joyful methods of teaching and learning
developed for teachers working with tribal children.
7. Coffee table book developed on good practices and traditional knowledge of
indigenous communities.