Paper short abstract:

The 2020 National Education Policy (NEP) in India advocates vernacular education for tribal children in primary and secondary schools. Based on ethnographic research, I will document the state's homogenous education systems that rob the tribal children of their languages and identities.

Paper long abstract:

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs, 2022 reports that Scheduled Tribes (S.T.) constitute approximately 8.6% of the population of India, numbering around one hundred and four million. The tribals are the country's most neglected groups regarding education, livelihood, and political representation despite numerous plans and policies, including reservations, since India's independence. They have lived in mineral-rich, geographically isolated geographic regions. Since the 1990s, the state and multinational corporations have introduced extraction for mining in their habitats, destroying their lives and livelihoods. As a result, young people are migrating to urban areas for menial jobs. Their lack of education keeps them at the bottom of society's social and economic ladder.

To achieve inclusive education and livelihood, Article 15(4) of the Indian constitution empowers the state to make special provisions for the education of Scheduled castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) (Sahoo 2009). The 2020 National Education Policy (NEP) recognizes the crucial role of mother tongue-based education and advocates using it as the medium of instruction until at least grade five and six, preferably until grade eight and beyond. Despite NEP promises, state education policies do not cater to tribal identity, their intrinsic relationship with nature, the environment, and fellow living beings. The state curriculum forces them to be part of the homogenous education system without considering their diversity of languages, cultures, and worldviews.