Presentation at 2015 Oxford Education Research Symposium

1. Is education an equalizer among the ethnic minorities?
- A case from Arunachal Pradesh, India
August 13, 2015
Deepti Gupta, New York University (USA)
Oxford Education Research Symposium

2. Agenda
• Situation Analysis
• Research Question
• Methodology
• Observations and Findings
• Discussion: Is Education an equalizer?

3. The location
Arunachal is the north east most state of India

4. Tribal tapestry
The state is home to over 26 major tribes, and over
100 sub tribes

5. Sulung village
Village is the unit of social cohesion

6. Naharlagun train station
Development at cross-roads

7. Youth voice on development
“The state is still not developed primarily due to
the mindset of the people among the less
educated ones. I have seen that outsiders are
being discouraged in my hometown which hinders
development.
The most apparent one is the insensitive attitude
of the elected leaders. The roads in Seppa haven’t
increased an inch since my childhood.”
Joymoni Beyong
Medical Student

8. Fraying Identities

9. Major Tribes
Sulung(Puroiks)1
 Population: 5,443
 Villages: 53
 Literacy rate: 2%
 Hunter-gatherers
Bangani (Nishis)2
• Population: 53,146
• Villages: 400+
• Literacy Rate: 38%
• Swidden farming, Terrace
cultivation
Source: 1 http://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/18186
2 http://censusindia.gov.in/Tables_Published/SCST/dh_st_arunachal.pdf

10. Educational System
• History
– 1919- First school established
– 1951- 67 Primary, 1 Middle school (6 teachers, 34 students)
– 2001- SSA launched
• Stats
– Literacy rates: ~0% 1947, 7.23% 1961, 54% in 2001
– Literacy divide: 30.48% (2011)
– Gender Gap in Literacy (20.30%)
• Education structure
– Informal Learning Institutions
– Formal Educational Institutions
– Government Programs and Interventions

11. Research Question
• Is education a vehicle to promote a level play field,
enhance economic development and reduce class
inequality in Arunachal Pradesh?
– What has been the impact of education in reducing the
class gap in the indigenous societies?
– How favorable are the formal education systems in
fostering linkages to the indigenous knowledge systems?

12. Research Methodology
 Primary
– Field trips in 6 villages in East Kameng
 Seppa town
 ChayangTajo
 Margingla
 Bana
 Mebua
 Bameng
– Semi structured interviews with over
10+ village elders, 20+ youth, 4
teachers
– Participatory fields methods
 Secondary
– Literature Review

13. Participatory Rural Appraisal
Studies of the resource usage mapping involving
community leaders and village elders in Mebua village

14. Literature Review
• In 1972, as a Union Territory, medium of instruction changed from
Assamese to English and schools affiliated to CBSE (Govt of Arunachal
Pradesh, 2010)
• National programs like SSA I & II had impact in enhancing access and
reduction in out of school children (UNICEF, 2012)
• Retention and transition rates were not improved to the desirable levels
inspite of interventions by national and state agencies (World Bank, 2013)
• Educational quality showed bleak progress in SSA. Teacher attendance,
school infrastructure and student learning outcomes were poor (World
Bank, 2013)
• The dropout rates in relatively underdeveloped regions are very high
(Planning Commission, 2009).

15. Key Findings
1. Formal Education
I. Education system favors the elite
II. It has led to social stratification and urban rural divide
2. Informal Learning Systems
I. Indigenous knowledge systems form the basis of societal learning
II. These are under threat and may disappear

16. Key Finding #1
• Formal education system favors the elite
Girls, 72
Boys, 128
Professional
+ Higher Ed
60%
Drop Outs
34%
Other
6%
n = 200
Primary data collected from students of private school, age 19-22
Professional= Engineering, Medical
Higher Ed= Undergrad degree in Arts, Science, Humanities, Business, Law

17. n = 200
Primary data collected from students of private school, age 19-22
Professional= Engineering, Medical
Higher Ed= Undergrad degree in Arts, Science, Humanities, Business, Law
18%
38%
39%
6%
26%
37%
32%
5%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
Professional Higher Ed Drop Outs Other
Girls Boys
Educational attainment at undergrad level, %

18. • Lack of quality education has led to social
stratification and urban rural divide
– The students from private schools are pursuing
professional careers, while the government school
candidates fare average in the higher education
– The states’ development indicators fell short of the
performance benchmark for SSA (World Bank, 2013)

19. • Education access has improved, though quality
remains an issue (SSA)
1. Enhancing access and reduction in out of school children
2. Making it more equitable across social groups and
gender
3. Measuring learning levels by improving retention and
transition rates
4. Making progress towards improved quality
Source: World Bank, UNICEF, Government of India , Planning Commission

20. Youth Voices on SSA
“The factors which I consider for the poor educational
quality are:
• Lack of quality education particularly in government
schools, specially SSA teacher negligence
• Mindset of majority of rural people who consider girl
child to take care of only household duties,
irrespective of talents
• The other factor is early marriage, generally after
secondary level
• Lack of employment as well as self employment due
to lack of training in allied activities and limited
presence of NGO’s”.
Aanam Bagang
Engineering Student

21. Key Finding #2
• Indigenous systems are the basis of societal learning
and are under threat

22. Social learning in the community
Nishi long house Agu Namtung, the hearth serves
as the center of learning and family development

23. Sapey- Community fish traps of the Bangni tribe
Sustainable fishing methods in harmony with nature

24. Swidden farming calendar
Age old agricultural practices handed over generations
through observations and oral leaning

25. People voices
Outsiders have come and taken
over. Our society has not
changed over the years, while
these people have been thriving
on our resources.
Schools can not bring a change
in our society.
Village headman
Chayangtajo
I did not go to school, I will
not send my children to the
school too. Reading and
writing means nothing to us.
We depend on the forest
and need to learn from
nature.
Village Elder
Mebua

26. Indigenous systems under threat
As there is a saying…
“Loss of culture is loss of identity.”
Hofe Dada, 20
This is one thing that is lacking in
our whole education system. We
are already late, there are many
elements of our culture that have
been lost.
Some traditional knowledge of art,
craft, sculpting, music must be
included in the current education
curriculum.
Banta Natung, 21

27. The Road 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
• School Curriculum- Localize curriculum design to include
elements of IKS
• Leveraging traditions and culture to design development
programs
• Psychological and emotional needs of the students needs to
be taken into consideration

28. St Joseph School, Seppa
Banta Natung, Minu Blayu, Jimmy Sonam, Toyir Bagra,
Pungnee Roji Beyong, Hofe Dada, Aakash Singh, Lino
Thomas, Joymoni Beyong, Tadung Taku, Happy Sonam
THANKS