Educational Status of Gujjars and Bakarwals in J&K

1024 576 Zahoor Ahmad Dar

Education is conceived to be a medium to serve a purposeful end. From modifying an individual or group’s behaviors to being an agent of social change and eventually helping a person attain upward mobility, education has come to embody different connotative meanings. Be it any society or any group, knowledge dissemination takes place in some form. It could be formal or informal. The history of education is also indicative of the fact that it has been non-linear across time and space, progressing through different forms and phases. 

Normative education is deemed to ensure inclusivity and egalitarianism in society. At an empirical level, does it challenge social and economic inhibitions that breed inequalities or render the vulnerable groups further to the brink of marginalization is debatable. However, being marginalized for decades does not mean that vulnerable communities have stopped aspiring to defy the odds and accomplish great feats. Rehana Bashir is the epitome of aspiration and empowerment in this regard. Hailing from Meander area of Poonch District in Jammu and Kashmir, she qualified civil services examination (2018) with a 187 rank and became the first female Gujjar from Jammu and Kashmir to qualify for Indian Administrative Services (IAS). But unfortunately, there are many aspiring youths who visualize an illustrious life like her but are unable to crystallize it into a reality due to the inaccessibility of education facilities. The policies of successive governments with regard to the alleviation and empowerment of the Gujjars and Bakarwals communities face a plethora of hurdles. 

This article, thus, analyses the policies and programs of the government of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) with regard to the educational upliftment of Gujjars and Bakarwals. A closer statistical investigation enables us to understand the current educational issues faced by these communities and how to address them properly.

Educational Status of Gujjar and Bakarwals in J&K

Jammu and Kashmir recorded a population of 1,25,41,302 with males 66,40,662 and 59,00,640 females as per 2011 census figures. The scheduled tribe population was 14,93,299 which accounted for 11.9 % of the state’s total population. The erstwhile state’s Gujjar population figured at approximately 9.8 lakh, while the Bakarwals numbered 1.1 lakh. Table 1 below shows the district wise population distribution of scheduled tribes in Jammu and Kashmir. According to a Centre for Policy Studies analysis of 2011 Census data, the population of Gujjars and Bakarwals grew by 33% over the previous decade, much faster than the state’s average growth of 23.6%. As nomadic tribes, they are spread over large swathes of land, encompassing Pir Panjal Range, Hindukush to Ladakh located in the Himalayan mountains of South Asia. They are goat herders and shepherds. They seasonally migrate from one place to another with their herds. Due to their seasonal migration, their education is heavily affected.

The literacy rate of the scheduled Tribe is 50.6%, which is much lower than the national average literacy rate. It must be noted that Gujjars & Bakarwals have abysmally low literacy rates. However, the literacy rate of ten other communities is high vis-a-vis Gujjars and Bakarwals, which compels the literacy rate of the ST community to stand at 50.6%.  The male literacy rate is 60.6% and the female literacy rate is 39.7%. (Census report 2011).

Since the article concerns the educational marginalization of Gujjars and Bakarwals, therefore, table 2 presents the district-wise distribution of literacy among Gujjar and Bakarwals. It shows that high literacy is found among the Bakarwals population in the districts of Poonch, Rajouri, and Jammu which has 30.8%, 20.5%, and 23.5% of education, respectively. Whereas among the Gujjars Jammu has 39.00%, Poonch 34.60%, and Rajouri 32.94% literate population in Jammu division. In order to comprehend the educational backwardness of these communities, the trend line of literacy rate among Gujjars and Bakarwals and the General population in J&K is in figure 1.

Table 2: Literacy rate among Gujjars-Bakarwals and the general population in J&K (in %)

Figure 1: Trend line of literacy rate among Gujjars and Bakarwals population in J&K

In order to facilitate inclusivity and accessibility of education, there is always a need for an institutional mechanism to administer its functioning. Therefore, with this intention, Jammu and Kashmir government established a tribal welfare department in July 2008. In furtherance of the objective and following in the footsteps of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs under the central government, the state government released the notification to establish the Directorate of Tribal Welfare. For the first time, the Department of Tribal Affairs initiated an exercise to assess the state of education, viz tribal students, literacy levels prevalent among the tribal population, and the development of a comprehensive education plan to address specific educational needs based on such surveys, in addition to the core efforts being made by the Education departments.

 The first Transhumant (migratory) population survey, conducted in 2021 yielded dispiriting results in education. It recorded a mere 16.74% literacy rate among a mammoth population of 6.12 Lakh, far below the national literacy rate of 74% even in the Census 2011, which pegged the literacy rate among STs at 59%. The male literacy rate was recorded as 19.38% while the female literacy rate was at 14.08%.

 The status of education and literacy in villages also presented a discouraging picture. In 2021, a survey of more than 365 villages with tribal populations of 500 or more, accounting for more than 50% of the total population, revealed a literacy rate of 29%, with a male literacy rate of 37% and the female literacy rate of 23%.

Challenges in the path of Tribal Education

The dream of a glorious future for Gujjars and Bakarwals has not really seen the light of day in the context of their education. To investigate the possible causes of their educational backwardness, an array of research scholars and policy practitioners have undertaken a multitude of analytical studies on the status of education and literacy among the Gujjars and Bakarwals communities. A  study by  K. Suri & P. Raina titled, “Study of the Educational status of tribal Bakarwal” argues that the Barkarwal tribes have a very low literacy rate as compared to other tribes. Another study by M.Y. Wani & R. T. Islam “Educational Status of Tribal of Jammu & Kashmir: A case study of Gujjars and Bakarwals” ascribes the reason for the backwardness of education in their community to seasonal migration, the practice of traditional occupation, unawareness about education, lack of interest on the part of parents, dearth of educational facilities, inaccessible road connectivity to rural and urban areas, financial problem, no mobile school facilities after primary standard and teacher absenteeism. The study further argues that only a small chunk of children continue education after primary and secondary schooling. They drop out of school because of the unavailability of mobile school facilities beyond the primary standard.

Another study conducted by Ambasht underscores that the main cause of illiteracy among Gujjar and Bakarwal is the social distance between the teacher and the pupil in the tribal areas. Suri (2014) in her study shows that the socioeconomic and educational status of Gujjar and Bakarwal is not satisfactory as compared to other sections of society. She further states that educational backwardness amongst Gujjars and Bakarwals is one of the key factors for their poverty, ignorance, and overall backwardness. Moving a step further Dubey (1972) conducted a study on education, social change, and political consciousness among the tribal community of northeast India and inferred that tribes are backward and illiterate. Professing the dire need for reforms in education to further the development of Scheduled Tribes, Chalam in his study of educational policy chalks out the above-stated pathways for human resource development.

Some of the challenges in the provision of educational services to transhumant areas are similar to those faced by other rural and marginalized households in the region, although often more severe. These include nomadism, militancy, lack of teachers willing to work in the conflict situations found in these areas, poor infrastructure as well as poorly motivated teachers, a household economy dependent on livestock, with children spending long periods away from their homes and schools, and transhumant mobility.

Initiatives taken by the J&K government

The government of J&K has taken various initiatives over the years to improve the education scenario in the tribal areas. The first scholarship revision was announced in July 2022, with a 125-140% increase in scholarships, making quality education more affordable for tribal students. The scholarship budget, which had been hovering around a maximum of 14-15 Cr for all of these years, has been increased to more than 50.00 Cr this year, up from a high of 31.12 Cr last fiscal year. The number of tribal student hostels has been increased to 25. In the last two years, the Tribal Affairs Department, Jammu and Kashmir, has completed the construction of eight hostels and approved the construction of 25 new hostels. As a follow-up to the 10.00 Cr modernization budget in 2021, the department has budgeted ‘17.00 Cr for hostel repair and renovation in 2022’.

The J&K government opened mobile schools in 1970 under which education is being provided to the children of nomadic ST communities by setting up an educational facility in the form of “seasonal schooling camps” in the upper reaches of the Pir Panjal range of mountains. The main purpose of these schemes was to fulfill the educational needs of the nomadic population. The government of J&K is changing the infrastructure landscape of schools in remote tribal areas through the pilot “Modernisation of Schools in Tribal Areas”. In the first phase, 100 smart schools were established across 20 districts at a cost of 20.00 Cr, and more than 200 schools will be equipped with smart classrooms this year. A residential coaching center for UPSC and State PSC exams is also under construction. Furthermore, a scheme has been launched to provide coaching for the Civil Services Examination to 100 tribal students this year in government-approved coaching institutions of repute, as well as 100 students for the NEET/JEE examinations. Despite good constitutional provisions, policies, and programs, their educational status is still low compared to other sections of society, due to a lack of awareness of the policies and programs initiated by the Government.

Policy recommendations

  • The government needs to ensure the availability of mobile schools in the majority of areas inhabited by Gujjars and Bakarwals. 
  • There is a need to develop curriculum and instructional material in tribal languages at the primary stages with arrangements of regional languages at the middle and secondary levels.
  • The government also needs to ensure facilities of open schooling for the communities, especially for nomad tribes.
  • Increased admission quotas for Gujjar and Bakarwal students in schools, colleges, and professional institutions are the need of the hour.
  • Vocational education needs to be introduced in tribal schools.
  • Biometric attendance should be introduced in tribal schools to stop the absenteeism of teachers as well as students.
  • The authorities should make regular inspections of tribal schools.

The administrative department for tribal welfare was established in 2015 by the J&K government, but the creation of posts remained a missing link, leaving the department without basic manpower to plan and implement welfare schemes. The government needs to address this issue as well.

Conclusion

It is an established fact that the literacy rate among Gujjars and Bakarwals is extremely low compared to other sections of society. Not only education but also accessibility is a major concern. Some of the challenges in providing educational services to transhumant areas are similar to those faced by other rural and marginalized households in the region, albeit to a greater extent. These include low population densities, which result in traveling long distances to schools; lack of teachers willing to live in the harsh conditions found in these areas, resulting in teacher shortages as well as poorly motivated teachers; lack of parental resources to pay for schooling costs such as uniforms, books, stationary, and so on; a migratory lifestyle and reliance on the livestock economy, which forces children to spend long periods away from their residential places and thus keep children away from schools. Educational problems concerning nomadic communities and the Gujjars need to be addressed in a holistic manner. Necessary measures if taken and implemented properly can result in an increase in literacy rate among Gujjars and Bakarwals.

References

Zahoor Ahmad Dar

Zahoor works at the intersection of public policy, climate change and International Relations. He has a bachelor's in liberal arts and a master's in international relations. Zahoor has written extensively on public policy, sustainable development, plastic pollution, energy policy, international relations, emerging technologies such as AI, and data sciences in various magazines, think tanks and newspapers. As a Research Fellow at the Jammu Kashmir Policy Institute, he seeks to constructively engage in research on sustainability, environmental governance, environmental diplomacy and development in Kashmir.

Author

Zahoor Ahmad Dar

Zahoor works at the intersection of public policy, climate change and International Relations. He has a bachelor's in liberal arts and a master's in international relations. Zahoor has written extensively on public policy, sustainable development, plastic pollution, energy policy, international relations, emerging technologies such as AI, and data sciences in various magazines, think tanks and newspapers. As a Research Fellow at the Jammu Kashmir Policy Institute, he seeks to constructively engage in research on sustainability, environmental governance, environmental diplomacy and development in Kashmir.

More work by: Zahoor Ahmad Dar

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