Status of Tribal Education in Junnar Tehsil, Maharashtra, India: An Overview of Welfare Schemes and Programs to Promote Tribal Education

Abstract

Tribal development policies' primary goal is to improve tribal peoples' quality of life in a sustainable way. However, tribal communities are marginalised, poor, and underprivileged in various ways. They have numerous challenges and issues, including financial, employment, and educational issues. Therefore, the government is trying its best to solve all these problems by implementing several policies and programs. They can empower themselves and develop the strength and confidence to face challenges in their daily lives with the help of education. Even while our constitution has numerous measures aimed at uplifting tribal society, there are still many difficulties they must overcome. The government has made special efforts by launching several programs, policies, and schemes to improve educational standards; however, the literacy rate among the Scheduled Tribes has remained low, and they continue to face numerous challenges. For this study, primary and secondary data were collected from various sources, including government enrollment records, census reports, periodicals, journals, and magazines. In Junnar tehsil, tribal students' educational progress is extremely lower than the general community. Tribes are not represented to the expected extent in higher education. Especially, the female population is still behind in literacy rate and overall educational improvements in rural areas of Junnar tehsil, as well as in Maharashtra state. the urban areas lead in gender equality and female literacy, but rural areas continue to face obstacles in spite of literacy improvement.