What We Often Miss About the Educational Journey of Tribal Girls and Young Women in Arunachal Pradesh: A Personal and Professional Perspective

Abstract

Discussions on tribal girls' education in India often focus on issues such as poverty, remoteness, gender discrimination, Early marriage and inadequate educational infrastructure. Although these challenges are real and important to be discussed for improving the status of girls' education in India but they do not fully take into consideration the changing realities and challenges of tribal girls' education of Arunachal Pradesh, which is known to be the largest tribal state by area and tribal dominance in India. Being born in Arunachal Pradesh and having lived among the tribals for nearly four decades, the author has witnessed a major shift in the educational experiences of the tribal girls. Based on these lived experiences and professional knowledge in the field of education, this paper suggests that tribal girls' education should not be viewed only in terms of school enrolment in Arunachal Pradesh. Equal attention should be given to their aspirations, confidence, learning opportunities, future careers and cultural identity. This paper highlights that over the years, tribal girls in Arunachal Pradesh have made remarkable progress in education. Every year the number of enrolments in schools and higher education is increasing. More girls are attending schools, colleges, and universities than ever before. At the same time several emerging challenges continue to exist, many of which receive limited attention in educational policies and academic discussions.