Paper short abstract:

The objective of the paper is to indicate the efficacy of nonstate actors induced innovations in education for the scheduled tribes, experimented in the sample schools under empirical study, its adaptation by the local milieu and impact on the indigenous right to education.

Paper long abstract:

Educational marginalization is a well-recognised phenomenon among the indigenous

population. Article 14 of the Declaration of Rights of the Indigenous

People states that "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". Goal 4 of 2030

Agenda for Sustainable Development calls for ensuring equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the indigenous peoples. In 2016, the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples was devoted to the right to education. Under the grip of neoliberal principles following the mandates of globalization, the world emphasizes limited state intervention. Under such a situation, ensuring right to education to the indigenous groups demands the activism of the nonstate actors. The present paper documents the empirical experiences gained on the effective innovations launched by a CSO. In India, the Scheduled Tribes are the indigenous people comprise 8.2% of the total population. A constituent of the Indian federal set up, Odisha has a high concentration of Scheduled Tribe constituting 22.85 percent of the total population with 62 tribes. The observations are derived from tribal dominated Noto panchayat of Kaptipada block of the district of Mayurbhanj. It covers 11 schools of 30 villages where a CSO called Sikshasandhan has launched innovations. The paper intends to establish under neo-liberal policies, the dynamic efforts of nonstate actors needs recognition to ensure better rights to its indigenous population.