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AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE SOCIO- ECONOMIC AND PSYCHOLOGICAL
PROBLEMS FACED BY THE SCHEDULED CASTE AND SCGEDULED TRIBE
STUDENTS IN THE UNDER GRADUATE CLASSES IN MALAPPURAM AND
KOZHIKODE DISTRICTS OF KERALA IN LEARNING ENGLISH AS A SECOND
LANGUAGE
Final report of the M R Project completed with the financial support of the UGC submitted
to University Grants Commission
by
Dr. C.K. Ahammed,
Associate Professor, Dept.of English,
Farook College, Calicut .
August 2012
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CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 2-4
CHAPTER 1. THE EDUCATION OF THE UNDERPRIVILEGED 5-14
CHAPTER 2. THE PLACE OF ENGLISH IN KERALA CURRICULUM 15-25
CHAPTER 3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND DEFINITION OF TERMS 26-45
CHAPTER 4. DATAE AND FINDINGS 46-80
CHAPTER 5. CONCLUSION 81-93
TABLES 94-120
BIBLIOGRAPHY 121-124
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INTRODUCTION
It is really a matter of great pleasure that since independence the government of India and Kerala
and other charitable organizations have been implementing various schemes and projects for
educating scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.Huge amounts had set apart in the five year
plans along with special provisions in the national educational policy for the educational
upliftment of the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.Inspite of all these even after sixty four
years of independence, the expected result has not been met with because of certain inherent
chronic problems special to these group of people who are in the bottom most level of the
society.
India,being a welfare state,cannot leave behind any particular section of its population in the
field of education.Article 46 of the constitution lays down that the stateshall promote,with
special care,the educational and economic interest of the weaker section of the people and in
particular,of the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes,and shall protect them from social
injustice and all form f exploitation.There is a growing realization that the education of
scheduled castes and scheduled tribe students in kerala has been neglected and that concerted
effort is needed to bring them to level of education and development.As a result,efforts are being
made in various departments to plan relevant educational techniques to uplift the weaker
sections,especially scheduled castes and scheduled tribes and to bring about qualitative
improvement in the education presently given to them.
English has a vital position in the undergraduate syllabus in Kerala state and it has been made a
compulsary subject for all the student in the undergraduate level.Experience shows that almost in
every undergraduate classes in the state there is a marked predominance of under achievers and
slow learners whose achievemnt in english is much below their potential.In the undergraduate
classes in the districts of Malappuram and kozhikkode between 20 to 30 present students are
from SC and ST families and to most of these students learning english is a burden.As teacher of
English with 28 years of experience from a village in the boarder of Mlappuram and Kozhikkode
district I have been able to understand the problems affecting the sc and st students in learning
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english as a second language are more of a social and psychologcal nature than of a purely
linguistic or pedagogical kind.It has also been understood that unless the students from these
communities are given enough facilities and motivation to enable them to learn english ,their
social status will not be improved to any significant level. To attain this status it is imperative
that the ability to use english should be improved keeping their social,psychological and
linquistic background.Necessary steps there for are to be taken to improve the social economic
status of this studentswith a view of bringing about some changes in their attitudes to
education.under these circumstances it is hoped that this research study entitled "An
investigation in to the socio economic and psychological problem faced by scheduled caste and
scheduled tribe students in the under graduate classes in Malappuram and kozhikkode districts of
kerala in learning English as a second language" will be helpful to identify their problems and
the remedial measures investigated after the study will be effective in solving the problems
related to poor performance of scheduled caste and scheduled tribe learners of english.
Though various researches have been done to find out the problems faced by the students in the
primary and higher secondary classes in learning english a specified research study on the
problems of sc and st students in undergraduate classes in the districts mentioned above has not
been done so far,and hence the present study has a special significance.It is hoped that this study
will be helpful to experts who are enguaged in the education of sc and st students ,to the teachers
of english,to the parents,to the educational administrators and to the text book writers on the one
hand and also to the members of sc and st population who need plenty of guidence and help in
english language learning.It is also hoped that research studies like this will be helpful to the
authorities and the government to pay their attention in this regard and hence to implement some
urgent measures for the development of these weaker sections who are at the bottom most level
0f the society through guidence and counselling.
This study has been divided in to five chapters,The first chapter entitled 'Education of the under
privileged' gives a brief outline of the educational status of the marginalised groups ,especially
backward classes including SC's and ST's since independence in India.In the second chapter
entitled "The place of English in kerala curriculum" an attempt has been made to provide the
details regarding the place of english as a second language in the kerala curriculum.A detailed
research methodology with definition of the terms connected with this study has been given in
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the third chapter.Chapter four gives the summary of the datae and findings and the last chapter is
the conclusion with detailed analysis along with the suggested remedial measures that can be
applied for solving the problems of SC and ST students while learning English as a second
language.
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Chapter I
THE EDUCATION OF THE UNDERPRIVILEGED
The word “education” has its origin in the Latin word “educatum”. “E” implies “a
progress from inward to outward” while “Dueo” means “developing or progressing”. Thus
“education” means “becoming developed or progressing from inside to outside”. According to
R.N.Sharma, “education is the process of developing the inner abilities and powers of an
individual and the term is connected with the Latin “educere” which means a propulsion from
the internal to the external and it implies some kind of change for the better in a person” (Indian
Social Problems: 312). According to Dr. Jose Muricken “Education is a cumulative process
leading to the total development and formation of a human person and its purpose is not
restricted to the intellectual development alone but aims at the integration of the
physical, moral and social dimensions as well” (Persons with Disabilities in Society: 283).
Kerala is a state where a large number of people are found to be illiterate, ignorant, poor
and backward. It is a classical land of caste in which caste is the main form of social
stratification. The term “backward classes” has not been defined properly either by sociologists
or by the constitution makers. The backward classes are a large mixed category of persons with
boundaries that are both unclear and elastic. They seem to comprise roughly one-third of the total
population of the country. The backward classes consist of three main categories – the scheduled
castes, the scheduled tribes and the other backward classes.
The term “backward classes” can be defined as a social category which consists of all the
socially, educationally and politically backward groups, castes and tribes. They are those social
groups or classes or castes characterized by low literacy, lack of education, poverty, exploitation
of labour and non-representation in Govt. services.
The Backward Classes Commission in its Report (1956) has described the Backward
Class as consisting of the following groups:
(1) Those who suffer from the stigma of untouchability or near untouchability. These groups
are classified as scheduled castes.
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(2) Those tribes who are not yet sufficiently assimilated into the main stream of the national
life. These groups are classified as Scheduled Tribes.
(3) Those tribes who, due to long neglect, have been forced to commit crimes. These tribes
were previously known as criminal tribes (before 1953) and presently called Denotified
Tribes or ex-Criminal Tribes.
(4) Other Backward Classes consist of the following groups or communities:
(a) Those nomads who have no occupation of a fixed habitation and are given to mimicry,
begging, jugglery, dancing or similar things.
(b) Communities consisting largely of agricultural or landless labourers.
(c) Communities consisting largely of tenants without occupancy rights and those with
insecure land tenure.
(d) Communities consisting of a large percentage of small land owners with uneconomic
holdings.
(e) Communities engaged in cattle breeding, sheep breeding or fishing on small scale.
(f) Artisan and occupational classes without security of employment and whose
traditional occupations have ceased to be remunerative.
(g) Communities, the majority of whose people do not have sufficient education and
therefore have not secured adequate representation in Government services.
(h) Social groups from among Muslims, Christians and Sikhs who are still backward
socially and educationally and
(i) Communities not occupying position in social hierarchy.
Among the four major groups that constitute the “Backward Classes”, the third category of group
(denotified tribes) is normally included in the second category of scheduled tribes. Hence, the
backward classes normally consist of the following three major category groups:
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(1) Scheduled Castes (2) Scheduled Tribes and (3) Other Backward Classes.
Backward classes consist of a large number of educationally and economically backward
people. According to the Indian constitution the characteristics of backwardness are illiteracy,
lack of education, poverty, exploitation of labour, non-representation in services and
untouchability.
On January 29, 1953 the Union Government had appointed a Backward Class
Commission under the Chairmanship of Kakasaheb Kalelkar and the Commission prepared a list
containing as many as 2,399 communities which were treated as socially and educationally
backward. Out of these, 913 communities alone had an estimated population of 115 million. The
Commission had adopted the following criteria for determining backwardness:
(1) Low social position in the traditional caste hierarchy of Hindu society.
(2) Lack of general advancement among the major section of a caste or community.
(3) Inadequate or no representation in Government services.
(4) Inadequate representation in the field of trade, commerce and industry.
Later in 1979 the second backward class commission known as Mandal Commission was
appointed and the Commission submitted its report on 31 December 1980. The Commission had
listed 3743 castes and communities in the central list whose population was estimated as 52% of
the total population of India. Later a National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) was
set up on 14th August 1993.
The main recommendations put forward by these Commissions are given below:
(a) 27% reservation of the jobs for the Other Backward Castes.
(b) Those candidates from Other Backward Communities who were selected through
open competition should not be adjusted against the reservation quota.
(c) The system of reservation should apply to all levels of promotion.
(d) Relaxation of upper age limit for direct recruitment from the scheduled castes,
scheduled tribes and other backward communities.
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(e) Implementation of reservation in educational institutions.
(f) Special efforts for additional coaching, vocational training and other educational
facilities to improve the standard of the students from backward communities.
(g) Financial assistance to students from rural areas in order to keep pace with the other
community students.
(h) Implementation of lower rate loans in order to encourage such people to take more
and more interest in industrial and commercial activities.
The Backward Communities are the underprivileged sections of the Indian society and
they have been suffering from a number of problems for a long time. Some of the socio-
economic and political problems are given below:
(1) These communities do not have any common awareness regarding their own problems
and hence, uniformity in opinions about the problems is rarely formed. No single all
India level organization has not been established to unify these communities and the
groups are scattered over almost all the states and exhibit a lot of diversities.so making
the task of unifying them is almost an impossibility.
(2) Due to educational and social backwardness, these groups are suffering from inferiority
complex, self complacency and lack of courage to march forward and such other
weaknesses.
(3) Politically these communities are unorganized. They are ineffective and cannot impose
their will on the other castes or communities.
The following schemes were launched in 1998-99 for the welfare of the Other Backward
Communities by the Government of India:
(a) Pre-examination coaching to enable them to compete in various competitive
examinations.
(b) Hostels for other backward boys and girls.
(c) Pre-matric scholarships
(d) Post-matric scholarships
(e) Assistance to voluntary organizations for the welfare of other backward communities.
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Education is the sheet anchor of any programme for the upliftment of the backward
classes and weaker sections. It is a fact that if any class or section of the community remains
educationally backward, that community will never come on par with another in the social and
economic field. Realizing these facts the government had set apart a large amount of money in
the five year plans for the implementation of schemes for the educational advancement of the
scheduled castes and tribes. In the first and second five year plans seventy five per cent and sixty
percent of the total plan had utilized for the education of the scheduled castes and scheduled
tribes. In the subsequent five year plans also the government had utilized a major portion of the
money for the educational progress of the backward classes.
The scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, who are popularly known as untouchables, are
the most disadvantaged group of population in our country. As a result of oppression and
servitude these classes of people have a background of illiteracy and ignorance. S.K. Gandhe
says: “The disparity between the disadvantaged groups viz. woman, scheduled castes, scheduled
tribes and other backward classes are still continuing in our country” (Access and Equity – Need
of the Disadvantaged, Nov.3, Jan. 01, 1999).
Therefore there is need to provide special care and opportunities to the traditional
disadvantaged population in a democratic society such as ours, which stresses equalitarianism,
social justice and economic development for all sections of the society. It is with this view that
Indian constitution offers an ideal of “equality of opportunities” to all people in the democratic
set up.
According to Kothari Education Commission Report “One of the important social
objectives of education is to equalize opportunities enabling the backward and underprivileged
classes and individuals to use education as an instrument for the improvement of their
conditions. Every society that values social justice and is so anxious to improve the lot of talent
must ensure equality of opportunity to all sections of the society” (Report of the Education
Commission, MHRD Govt. of India, New Delhi, 1064-66, p.26).
The National Education Policy (1986 updated 1992) states that “The new policy will lay
special emphasis on the removal of disparities and to equalize educational opportunity by
attending to the specific needs of those who have been denied equality so far” (National Policy
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of Education (NPE) 1986 updated 1992, MHRD publication No.1723, MHRD Dept. of
Education, New Delhi, para I). The objectives specified in the policy are the best interest of a
democratic society and the implementation of equality.” The policy envisages “to remove
inequalities based on gender, race, religion, region, or caste together with an improvement of
quality” (Jasin Jasbir 1999: 103).
Accordingly efforts have been made to ensure greater access to the disadvantaged groups
by making provision for free ships, scholarships and reservation (Powar: 21). On 4th May 1999
the Kerala State Cabinet decided to have 49 percent reservation for scheduled castes, scheduled
tribes and other backward classes in all the disciplines of education (16 per cent scheduled caste,
12 percent scheduled tribes and 21 percent other backward classes). The provisions coupled
with the expansion of the system have helped to reduce the disparities to some extent.
The history of education in India shows that we have a fairly long tradition of a formal
system of education at school and at higher education level. Right from the Vedic system, we
had a well organized system of education which emphasized all aspects of development. In the
earlier part of the ancient period education was open to all even though the caste system had
prevailed. The reason for this was that the hierarchy was not such rigid and the determination of
the caste was not the basis of birth (“Janmam”) but on the basis of occupation or on a person’s
actions (“Karma”). But, later on, the system became more rigid and slowly education became
the privilege of a few upper castes in the hierarchy. The determination of the caste was decided
on the basis of birth and as a result some sections of the society were not allowed to pursue even
the school education in the country. These sections were kept outside from the main stream of
the society. They were given low status occupations like cleaning and scavenging. Later such
people were regarded as “untouchables” by the upper caste people. This kind of treatment
affected the educational and social progress of such people for a long time. But during the British
period, some glittering stars like Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Ambedkar and others appeared on the
horizon of the society and did commendable efforts for spreading education among these people.
During British era missionaries as well as native social reformers made a lot of efforts for the
educational development of the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes who had been living in a
state of illiteracy, ignorance and poverty.
According to the noted Sanskrit Scholar and Ayurvedic Physician Chittattinkara N.
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Krishna Pilla “There are thousands of castes and tribes in the world but the caste and division as
it exists is entirely different from reality” (Kerala Calling, 20 Aug. 2007). The Malayalam
version of an ancient Tamil Ayurvedic book Malavakadam also exemplifies the caste, birth star,
life span and Samadhi of ancient yogis and Sidhas of Ayurveda. All the Sidhas and 45 other
sages except Dhanwanthary (God of Ayurveda) belong to inferior castes. While Dhanwanthary
was from a Vishnukula (Brahmin) family. The inferior castes are Kuravar, Kallar, Mayan
(Blacksmith), Valaiveeshu (Fisherfolk), Yadavas, Marathiyar, Sinhalayar, Shaivar, Vedar,
Kowndar, Kurumbar, Shankar Kula Akamudayar, Pallan, Shoki, Aynikula, Khannadiyar,
Agnikula, Viswakarma and Chandirakula. It is established that Ratnakaran, later known as
Vatmiki (author of Ramayana) was a Vedan (hunter). Sage Chemadagni (Jemadagni) the father
of king Ravana was a Chinar caste Saint Viswamithra was a Kshathriya by birth, but later
attained Brahminhood through meditation. Narada was born to a Sudra and Urvashi from an
Adimai caste. These examples prove that all these sages irrespective of their birth are being
respected, dignified and even worshipped through ages. None of them was neglected to oblivion
on the basis of birth. From this it is clear that “it is the merit of a man that we count and not the
colour of his skin” (Bagavat Gita, 4.13).
Chaturvarnyam mayasrushtam
Gunakarma vibhagasha:
Tasya kartharmap, maam
Vidya Karthar mavyayam (Bhagavat Gita 4.13)
Lord Krishna says “the creation of the four-tier division of caste is on the basis of guna and
karma.” Divinity, integrity, vigour, glory, virtue and wisdom are the factors that determine guna.
Caste system is connected with ‘Chathurvarnyam’ and it is a part of Brahma.
Castes and tribes are determined by guna and karma based on which Brahmin, Kshatriya,
Vaisya and Sudra are defined. Bagavat Gita defines a Brahmin as a person with serenity, self-
control, purity, spirituality, forbearance, wisdom and ingeniousness (18.42). Kshatriya is one
who is having the qualities like heroism, prowess, steadiness, incompliance of the war front,
large heartedness, godliness and righteousness (Bagavat Gita, 18.44). A Vaisyan is one who is
engaged in trade, commerce and agriculture while one who serves others is a Sudra. Chandalas
falls outside the domain of Chaturvarnya. From the definitions given above it is clear that caste
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is defined not on the basis of birth or colour of the skin but on the merit of one’s qualities and
work. According to Krishna Pilla, caste is a measure just like a mother puts marks of
identification to her children. Each child of a mother falls in different castes depending on
various Gunas and karmas. The legend Parayipetta Panthirukulam says that the Chandala mother
had given birth to 12 children each belonging to a different caste. Thus it is clear that all the
castes originated from a single source and later divided into many on the basis of “Karma” or
“Guna”.
Article 16, 29(2) and 335 of the Constitution clearly provides “for a better deal for the
scheduled castes and scheduled tribes both in terms of education and job opportunities”
(Government of India: 1973:18). After 1947 the government and voluntary organizations
initiated efforts in this regard and as a result the momentum of progress of education among
scheduled castes and scheduled tribes increased. Various steps were taken by the government to
promote and to protect these people through welfare schemes operated from the central and state
levels. The constitution of India offers security of all citizens, justice, socio economic equality
and opportunity to all.
Article 46 of the Constitution of India envisages that “the state will promote with special
care the education and economic interests of the weaker sections of the people and in particular,
of the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes and shall protect them from social injustice and all
forms of exploitations” (Government of India 1973:37).
It is a fact that the scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students can catch up with the
general population of the country only through proper education. Various governments had
implemented a number of schemes to provide educational incentives to scheduled caste and
scheduled tribe students.
The government of Kerala had announced the year 1985 as the year of Scheduled Castes
and Scheduled Tribes and had undertaken several educational programmes for the upliftment of
the students from these communities. In spite of all these facilities their level of educational
attainment is still considerably far below than that of non-scheduled caste and non-scheduled
tribe students. Investigations have revealed that most of the students of these families come from
a far poorer socio-economic background when comparing with students from other communities.
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Most of these students live in remote rural areas and prefer to study only in neighbouring schools
where the standard of education are far below than that in the other institutions in urban areas.
“The rate of literacy of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in Kerala was 40.2 percent in 1971
and 46 percent in 1981 as against 60.42 percent and 69 percent respectively for the general
population of the country” (Booklet published by Directorate of Harijan Welfare Department,
Kerala, 1986).
Scheduled caste and scheduled tribe communities are now conscious about their own
educational progress and the utilization of the facilities offered to them. These communities have
realized, though very late, that education is a matter of vital importance for their development
and social set up in the country. Recent statistical reports reveal an upward swing in the standard
of education among these communities. In a democratic socialistic set up the dream of an
equalitarian society would not be realized without the universalisation of education. When we
analyse the whole situation minutely it is clear that we have to go still a long way to attain our
proposed goal of giving/providing education to all the backward classes in our country.
A number of research studies have been undertaken during the post independence era and
have put forward the findings related to the different aspects of education among scheduled
castes and scheduled tribes of school level. Some of these studies are related to the enrolment,
wastage and stagnation in curricular and co-curricular aspects, connected with their education.
Some other studies are about the problems connected with instruction, infrastructural facilities in
the educational institutions, utilization of educational funds and similar other problems relating
to the education of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. These studies have been carried out at
the individual as well as institutional level. These studies were conducted mainly in the form of
surveys with the help of questionnaires and interviews with individuals connected with the
education of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. The datae collected have been analysed
qualitatively. The findings revealed by these studies are of great use not only to sociologists but
also to the school instructors and to well wishers connected with the education of these classes.
All such studies reveal certain shortcomings and areas of concern that hinder the educational
progress of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes at school level. The administrators of schools,
panchayaths, districts, state and national level have vital roles to play with regard to the various
dimensions of the education of scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students. It includes proper
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planning, organizing, co-ordinating, controlling and motivating such students. Sound short term
and long term plans as well as policies can be arranged for the successful implementation of such
programmes in a scientific way. Only by providing better communication facilities, sanitary
programmes, teaching materials and methods, the government can hope to bring about an
attitudinal change in the backward population towards education.
Recently the government of Kerala has been doing a lot of welfare programmes for the
development of the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. As per the Economic Review
published by State Planning Board, Thiruvananthapuram in March 2007 (pp.400-401) a total
amount of Rs.61.35 crore had earmarked during the year 2006-07 for the development
programmes by the Scheduled Tribe Development Department. It consisted of State Plan
Schemes, Centrally Sponsored Schemes and Projects Under Corpus Fund as well as Special
Central Assistance. Financial and physical achievements of schemes implemented by the
scheduled caste development department during the period from 2002-03 to 2006-07 included
wide area comprising education, health, housing and so many other schemes that promoted the
economic and social welfare of scheduled castes and other backward classes. “The department
implemented 19 schemes for educational development, programme for education included
boarding and lodging facilities at pre-matric and post-matric levels, incentives and awards to
talented students, stipends, lump sum grants, pocket money to students, special coaching and
tutorial facilities to improve results, supply of books and equipments. To equip such students to
appear for various competitive examinations, the department also provided eight model
residential school, information cum guidance centre, pre-examination training centre and
facilities for civil service examinations” (Economic Review, March 2007, Govt. of Kerala,
p.400).
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Chapter 2
THE PLACE OF ENGLISH IN KERALA CURRICULUM
English language is often described as a window to the outside world acting as a gate way to
twenty first century thougt and culture. Due to universal popularity it is the ‘Lingua-Franca’. It
is the language of higher education, public administration, law courts and of commerce.
According to T.C. Baruah “English which was to continue as the official language up to January
26, 1965, under the official language Act of 1963,still continues to be used in addition to Hindi”
(108). According to the "Times of India" report based on a paper by J.P. Naik, Secretary,
Education Commission, “the numbers of people who know English in India is estimated as 11
million, and it is probably the most important second language in India today” (1997). Our
government has made it a compulsory subject of study. In India, since it is the link language
between the multilingual states , the official language commission has remarked that, “English is
the key to the storehouse of knowledge and a window to the rapid progress of technology and
scientific knowledge that is constantly taking place in the world” (213).
During the pre-independence period, English was the medium of instruction, first
language, lingua franca and the queen of languages in the whole country. The well experienced
native English teachers of that era had helped the students to speak ‘A Class English’ and it was
a passport to employment. After independence, some leaders argued for the retention of English
in India. C. Rajagopalachari said: “We, the Indians in our anger against the British, should not
throw away the baby (English) with the bath water (English people)” (24). According to Pandit
Nehru “150 years of intimate contact has made English an integral part of our education system
and this cannot be changed without injury to the cause of education in India.” Mahatma Gandhi
wanted to uproot English from India and said, “It is my considered opinion that English
education as in the manner it has been given has emasculated the English of educated Indians. It
has put a severe strain upon the Indian students and made us imitators.”
When the Indian Constitution was framed, it was unanimously decided to continue
English as the official language of the country for 15 years. During this period the authorities had
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made unsuccessful effort to develop and replace Hindi instead of English. Later in 1963, the
Parliament passed a Bill according to which English was declared to be the Associate Official
Language of India for an indefinite period.
After independence, many leaders were against keeping English as the medium of
instruction in India. The Education Commission headed by Dr.Kothari recommended “the
regional language as the medium of instruction from class I to class V, the study of two
languages (regional language and English or Hindi) from Class V to VII and 3 languages
(regional language, English and Hindi) from Class VIII to X and any language of the students’
choice at the higher levels for specialized study.” Now in many states of India, the regional
language has been adopted as the official language and the study of English is nothing but a
burden on the minds of students. According to the Education Commission, our scholars who are
doing advanced work in the fields of science, medicine, engineering etc. will be able to consult
library books only by making English a ‘Library language’ in our country.
There are many factors responsible for the decline of English in India today. F.G. French
says:
The unhygienic physical conditions of the school buildings and English class rooms,
the insufficiency of good seating arrangements and circumstances to teach, the
overcrowded heavy classes, the over ambitious syllabus, the sub-standard text books,
the old examination methods and the lack of time and well-trained teachers are some
of the reasons for the decline of English in India today. Without appreciation of the
aims of teaching the language, the teacher is like a sailor who is unaware of his
destination and the student is like a rudderless vessel which may drift anywhere
(Teaching English Abroad 134).
Ronald Mackin has summed up the position in these words:
The old fashioned type of benches and desks, which restrict movement, the bad light,
the noise from neighbouring classes, which may be separated from them by nothing
more than a bamboo screen; insufficient provision for their subject in the time table,
the lack of aids of all kinds, interference from parents or a dominating conservative
headmaster and finally the written language (A New Approach to Teaching of
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English India 41).
Thus day by day the condition of English in India is deteriorating.
A few preventive measures could be taken against the decline of English in India. Some
sort of in-service and refresher courses should be organized for teachers of English, to keep them
abreast of the knowledge of latest techniques of English teaching. Judiciously selected text books
written according to graded syllabus and different types of audio-visual aids should be used for
teaching. The examination system should be improved. The class rooms must be well furnished,
lighted, ventilated and be away from the disturbance of the neighbouring classes. Compulsory
correction work and oral and written exercises during teaching. Over-crowded classes should be
reduced to normal size. The teacher should be well-trained, earnest and dutiful in teaching and be
capable of creating a good impression among the students. If these measures are accepted, the
teaching of English in India will be a success and we can make it a language with status.
According to the official publication of the NCERT:
The three language formula has been accepted as a national policy. A child at the
completion of ten years of school should be competent in the first language, be able
to understand and express himself in the second language and be able to comprehend
the third language and its ordinary printed form. The first language should usually be
the mother tongue. The second language should be Hindi where it is not mother
tongue. The third language should usually be English, but could also be any other
foreign language. Sanskrit or Persian could be introduced as a part of the first or
second language or introduced separately as a fourth subject.
The University Education Commission (1949), the Secondary Education Commission
(1953) and the Education Commission (1964-66) had examined in detail the role of English in
free India and made several valuable recommendations regarding the teaching of English in our
schools and colleges. The National Policy on Education published in the Ministry of Education
in 1986 states in broad terms that the 1968 policy regarding the development of languages will
be implemented energetically and purposefully. As stated in the programme of Action of the
Education Commission Report (1986).
18
The policy emphasized the adoption of regional language as the media of instruction
at the University stage, vigorous effort at the implementation of the three language
formula, improvement of the linguistic competencies of students at different stages
of education, provision of facilities for the study of English and other languages,
development of Hindi as the link language as provided for in Article 351 of the
constitution.
The policy outlined in the National Policy has, however, not been implemented uniformly
or consistently by the states with the result that the role of English has been different in different
states. In many states, there exist only a two-language formula, English being conveniently kept
out of the picture.
The teaching of English at all India level has suffered another serious deficiency. Most of
the approaches and methods take into account the linguistic and methodological factors only,
almost ignoring the social and sociological aspects of the issue. It is a fact that a vast majority of
Indian population belongs to the backward and weaker sections and lives in rural areas.
According to the figures furnished by the Mandal Commission (1980) the percentage
distribution of Indian population by caste and religious groups, the scheduled castes form
15.05%, scheduled tribes 7.51% and other backward castes 52% bringing the total of the
backward classes to 74.56%. Their problems are not the same as those of the forward sections
living in urban areas. As is borne out by research findings, the rural learners are often
handicapped by difficulties arising from social background, lack of motivation and aptitude to
learn English, inadequate entry level achievements, sense of frustration and diffidence, and want
of needed skills to meet the demands of university education. It is pointed out that a fresh
approach is urgently needed in the case of rural and backward learner ‘as the usual tests will not
identify those people, the curriculum may not challenge them. The approach would acquire a
recognition of the educational deficiencies that result from life-conditions of the
underprivileged.’
In the present overall Indian context, we have to take into account the following
considerations lest the teaching of English should cease to have any social and economic
reference:
19
(a) (i) Attainment of English of the students of educationally backward classes including
scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in comparison to others,
(ii) Attainment of the rural students in relation to others,
(iii) Attainment of boys in relation to girls,
(iv) Attainment of students whose parent’s education level is 7th Standard and above in
relation to those below 7th Standard.
(v) attainment of students who have good facilities at home in relation to others,
(vi) attainment of students who have favourable surroundings in relation to others, and
(vii) attainment of students who have reasonable media facilities in relation to others.
(b) V.V.Yardi says:
The aims and objectives of teaching English in India have to be viewed in the light
of the national objectives. We have also to remember that we have less time now
than before to teach English, the incentives for learning English are rapidly
diminishing, environmental factors are becoming increasingly unfavourable. In this
context what we require is a method of greatly simplified English teaching with
minimum objectives and maximum feasibility to make its teaching and learning
tolerable to the vast number of our school and college going children to whom it has
become either a cruel joke or a bugbear and a burden! (Teaching English in India,
Chapter I).
(c) The existing school situation promotes wrong study habits. As a result, learning remains at
the verbal level and there is no real effort on the part of the pupil to learn anything. In such a
situation, we have to ensure that motivation for a study has to be intrinsic in the learning
process. According to F. G. French ‘pupils should learn something because they find it
interesting in itself. Learning should become a pleasurable experience instead of being a
drudgery as it is now’ (Teaching English in India, 136).
(d) With the independence of India and the advent of democracy there were sudden changes in
20
the educational field which resulted in a great spurt in the number of schools, colleges and
scientific and technical institutions throughout the country. This had its implications. In the
field of English language teaching too there had been developments. In olden days there
were the shortage of trained teachers to teach English and as a result English came to be
taught in schools by under-qualified and ill-equipped teachers resulting in such perfunctory
and sub-standard teaching. Much of the fall in standards of teaching English after
independence can be attributed to this fact.
(e) The experts of these days are mostly engaged in designing syllabi and preparing materials
needed in the English classrooms. The social and psychological factors that affect the
learning of English are not often taken into consideration. Considering the social background
of the vast majority of learners who hail from a rural, backward setting it is important as Dr.
S. K. Verma, remarks that:
Special opportunities are made available to help weaker sections of our society to
acquire an adequate competence in English so that they will never remain as
disadvantaged in area of higher education and in terms of upward social mobility
(English Language Teaching in India 35).
We must take steps to produce methods and materials designed to help students coming
from tribal, rural and other neglected sections of society who, though gifted and intelligent, feel
alienated and handicapped at institutions of higher learning because they have not had the
opportunity of acquiring English as a second language. Here is a great challenge, for educational
institutions, they must devise tailor-made programmes in English as an instrument of education.
It is from this overall national perspective that we have to look at the English language teaching
situation in Kerala.
English and the curriculum in Kerala
The international language, English, has a vital position in the school and college
curriculum of Kerala state. It has been made a compulsory subject for all students keeping in
view the fact that all students need some English for academic and professional purpose and for
social interaction. The primary need of an English language leaner is to attain a skill in using
21
English language effectively both for the pursuit of academic studies and for his success in the
future career. The present curriculum has been designed with the objective of helping the
students to acquire communication skills like listening, speaking, reading and writing.
English language teaching in India has a very long history. According to Qaiser Zoha
Alam:
The history of the English language in India can be traced back to the 31st of
December, 1600, the day on which Queen Elizabeth I of England granted a charter to
the governor and company of merchants of London trading with the East India.
English Education was in fact introduced in India in the middle of the 19th century
(English Language Teaching in India 11). In 1857 three universities were
established. They were of Calcutta, Bombay and at Madras. The Senate of the
University of Calcutta adopted a resolution in 1861 that all examinations should be
conducted in English. This resolution compelled all schools to introduce English as a
subject of a very early stage. Since the British introduced the modern system of
English education in India, the study of English is an important part of the liberal and
humanistic discipline.
The focus of our English language teaching programmes and the role of English in our
educational system have been shifting over the years. In 1917, the Calcutta University
Commission took note of the rapid decline in academic standards in all subjects especially
English and stressed the importance of the study of English as part of general education in India.
The Commission considered English indispensable to the higher education in India at that time.
According to the Commission Qaiser Zoha Alam says:
Some of the causes of the deterioration in the quality of the teaching of English were
lack of contact with teachers who spoke English as their mother tongue, unsuitable
nature of the lecture method and a lack of systematic instruction in spoken English.
The teaching of English in educational institutions of India received a major set back
after independence due to many reasons. The regionalization of the medium of instruction at the
University level resulted in an inadequate exposure to the English language. The examination
system in use was largely unrealistic and the text books rather outdated. Later a number of
22
Commissions and study groups stressed the need for the rationalization of the English curricula,
text books and examinations.
The Radhakrishnan Commission Report (1948) recommended the continuance of the
study of English in the following word. “English should be studied in high schools and in the
universities in order that we might keep ourselves in touch with the living stream of ever
growing knowledge.”
The recommendation of the Kunzru Committee Report was “the teaching of English
literature should be related to the study of Indian literatures so that apart from its value for
linguistic purposes, it could be an effective means of stimulating critical thinking and writing in
the Indian languages.” All India seminar on Teaching of English in Secondary Schools held at
Nagpur in 1957 set up the objective that within a period of six years of the high school course the
pupils should be enabled to attain a working knowledge of English.
According to the recommendations of the Official Language Commission (1956)
“English should be taught as a language of comprehension rather than as a literary language.”
According to Randolph Quirk “the standards of English teaching in India are deplorable
and there are needs for reform and experiments.” Kothari Commission (1964) and the Report of
the Study Group I also make a special mention of the deteriorating standards of English.
In the curriculum of Kerala state English Language has been included as an essential
paper. In 1818 Rev. Mead founded the Nagarcoil Seminary which was considered as the first
institution to offer regular English education in the Travancore State. In 1884 the proclamation
of Maharaja stated that “those educated in English schools should be given preferences in public
services.”
Rev. Dawson’s work in Cochin (1818) and the Malabar Board’s Act (1834) also helped
for the establishment of schools in Kerala. The Cochin Education Code (1911) and the Stathan
Committee Report (1933) are also considered as significant milestones in the history of English
language teaching in Kerala.
During the last five decades following the independence many important changes have
taken place in the English language teaching situation in the state with regard to the objectives of
23
teaching the language, the time allotted, the syllabus, and the methods of teaching. During the
years immediately preceding independence, English had enjoyed a high prestige and had
occupied the topmost position in the affairs of the state. Till 1946 it was the medium of
instruction even in high school classes. In those days competence in English language had given
a good status to the individuals and it was considered as a passport to employment and as an
essential requirement for appointment in important recruitments.
English language has a vital position in the school and college curriculum. It has been
made a compulsory subject for all students, keeping in view the fact that all students need some
English for academic and professional purposes and for social interaction. The primary need of
learners of the school today appears to be a skill in using English language effectively both for
the pursuit of academic studies and for success in future careers. The curriculum has been
designed with the objective of enabling the learners to acquire communication skill like listening,
speaking, reading and writing.
Results of final examinations of schools indicate that the percentage of failure in English
is much higher when compared to the failure in other subjects. As an example in the SSLC
result of March 2011 the lowest pass percentage as well as the lowest state average was marked
for English. While 88 percent of the students passed in their first language, Malayalam, only 36
percent of the students could secure a pass grade in English. The failure in English is more
prevalent in the case of students belonging to the socially and educationally backward classes of
society which constitute more than 74 percent of the total population of the country.
Experience shows that the average school and college classrooms are full of
underachievers, low achievers and the slow learners whose achievement in a foreign language
like English is much below their potential. It is clear that a very large number of such learners
come from socially and educationally backward classes. Their poor attainment in English is
closely related to their socio-familial backward. Such students, according to the survey furnished
by Prof.U.Mohamed in his study An investigation into some significant factors affecting the
Learning of English as a second language by students of Backward classes in Kerala, revealed
the presence of serious impediments to learning relating to their home environment, parental
care, emotional factors and exposure to mass media which interfered with their interest and
motivation in the learning of a foreign language like English. Most often the teaching in schools
24
and colleges is often directed towards average or above average students without the teacher
paying much attention to the needs of the underachievers and the slow learners who forms the
majority in most classes.
In the 31 million population of Kerala, there is a marked predominance of backward
classes and communities which comprise different sections of socially and educationally
backward classes and communities such as Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (11.12%),
Muslims (24.9%), Ezhavas including Thiyya (20.05%) and a sizeable population of Latin
Catholics, other Backward Christians and other Backward Hindus. It is estimated that SC and ST
and OBCs alone constitute a section of 72.9% of the state population.
In the schools and colleges in North Kerala (Ksaragod, Wynad, Kannur, Kozhikode and
Malappuram districts) between 20 to 30 percent students are from scheduled caste and scheduled
tribe families. For these students learning English is a burden. The problems affecting the SC and
ST students in learning English language (as indeed in other areas of learning) is more of a social
and psychological nature than of a purely linguistic or pedagogical kind. It is difficult to improve
the standard of these students by educational process only. Most of the attempts at reform focus
on linguistic factors and class room techniques often ignoring social factors including
psychological background of the students. These attempts, as a rule, aim of introducing reforms
and change, taking into account the interests and needs of the average or above average students
and those below average, especially those belonging to backward sections of the country,
including scheduled castes and scheduled tribes are ignored. It is a fact that in Kerala, a great
majority of the students come from backward and weaker sections and a large chunk of this
group hails from rural and poor settings. Such students naturally have some special problems
distinct from those of their counterparts in more fortunate settings. Such problems may interfere
with their ability to acquire proficiency in a language, especially in English. Necessary steps
have, therefore, to be taken to improve the socio-economic steps of these classes with a view to
bringing abut some changes in their attitudes to English. It has been observed that the practice of
conducting special coaching classes in English for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes outside
normal working hours has not gained much acceptance with the students. It is hoped that this
study will help to bring into focus the unsatisfactory state of English language teaching in the
undergraduate classes in the districts of Malappuram and Kozhikkode where there is
25
predominant population of SC and ST families.This study may open the way to fresh
investigations and further discussions which in turn might lead to suggestions to solve the
existing problems connected with the study of English language in the high schools and colleges
in kerala.
26
Chapter 3
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND DEFINITION OF TERMS
Longman’s Dictionary of Contemporary English defines methodology as “the set of
methods used for study or action in a particular subject as in science or in education.” A research
is “a careful investigation or inquiry especially through search for new facts in any branch of
knowledge” (Advanced Learners Dictionary of Current English). It is “an art of scientific
investigation and it comprises defining and redefining problems, formulating hypothesis or
suggested solutions, organisaing and evaluating data, making deductions and reaching to
conclusions” (Englewood Cliffs, Research in Education, p.19). In a research there is a
systematized effort to gain a new knowledge and in every research there is an attempt for
gathering new data from the primary or from the first hand sources using the existing data to
reach a new conclusion. The selection of a suitable instrument or tool is a matter of vital
importance for a successful research and the tool helps the researcher to collect the existing facts
or to explore new ones.
The selection of a particular method to be employed for a particular study always
depends upon the nature of the problem and the kind of data necessary for its research. The
research design is the designing of a plan for collecting the relevant data and before starting an
investigation a researcher plans and designs an appropriate research design or methodology for
attaining the final aim.
The title of the present study is “An Investigation in to the socio-economic and
psychological problems faced by the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students in the
Under graduate classes in Malappuram and Kozhikkode Districts of Kerala in learning
English as a Second Language”.The title reveals that a lot of field work is necessary for the
collection of the data connected with the investigation. The study and collection of the data
connected with the present study was conducted during the academic years 2009-2011. Both
primary and secondary data have been used in the present study.Besides various tools, methods
27
and techniquesils are also been used for the collection of necessary details. All the available
primary data has been used to understand and to explain the existing socio psychological and
economic status of the sample mentioned above. Methods and tools like (a) Achievement test,
(b) Questionnaires to collect the data connected with the socio-familial backgrounds and
psychological and linguistic problems, (c) opinionaires (d) interviews, (e) discussions, (f)
observations and (g) survey methods are also been used for the collection of the detae and for the
successful completion of the present study. In addition to these the places mentioned below have
also been visited by the investigator, sometimes alone and sometimes in the company of
students, teachers, friends and similar well-wishers who are interested in the welfare,
development and education of scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students. The institutions
visited are the following;
(a) various under graduate colleges situated in the districts of Malappuram and Kozhikkode.
(b) A number of scheduled caste and scheduled tribe colonies situated in these districts of
Kerala.
(c) Training and guidance centres offering remedial, special and intensive bridge courses in
English and in other subjects for scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students. The
relevant details are given in the following pages.
The required data for the study have also been collected from the secondary sources like
(a) the records of the government agencies controlling the education of the scheduled caste
and scheduled tribe students.
(b) Various government and individual publications with details of education of such
students.
(c) Records from the offices of Welfare and Development of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled
Tribe students.
Some of the additional details were also collected from:
(a) Office of the Director of Economics and Statistics, Thiruvananthapuram.
28
(b) Office of the Director of Census Operation, Poonkulum, Thiruvananthapuram.
(c) Office of the Planning Board, Pattom, Thiruvananthapuram.
(d) Harijan Welfare Office, Vikas Bhavan, Thiruvananthapuram.
(e) Regional Office of the Director of Higher Secondary Education, Kozhikode.
(f) Various Offices connected with the welfare of the Tribal students and
(g) Offices of the District Educational Offices, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Wynad, Kannur
and Kasaragod.
Opinions, suggestions and recommendations have also been collected from various
officials, parents, students, teachers, social workers and similar types of persons working in the
field of education and development of tribal students, in the Kerala State. It is expected that the
study will yield dependable and worthwhile findings for improving the acquisition of English
language among the scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students in the under graduate classes in
Kerala.
Planning of the Test
Since the topic was the study of the educational problems of undergraduate students, it
was necessary to conduct a test to understand the performance and achievement of the sample
students in learning English. The investigator sent letters and contacted over the phone, many
under graduate teachers who had experience in teaching English to scheduled caste and
scheduled tribe students in the colleges. After the consultation with teachers and experts in the
field, the investigator designed and prepared a model achievement test paper for the students.
The course content was analysed thoroughly in consultation with the resource persons in the
education field and in accordance with the curriculum and text books
397 Students appeared for the test out of which 210 students scored below 40 percent
marks in English. Among the 210 students 120 students were students from scheduled caste and
scheduled tribe families.
29
Socio Economic Status Scale
The next attempt was to assess the socio-economic and psychological status of those
scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students who participated in the tests mentioned above. A
questionnaire with fifty questions was prepared. Questions 1 to 6 in the questionnaire were to
collect the details of the family background of those students, like the family status, total number
of the members of the family, educational status of the parents and such similar details.
Questions 7 to 32 were about the educational facilities available to the students and the economic
status of the member of the family. Questions 33 to 46 were about the problems responsible for
the difficulties in learning English language. Students were asked to respond to those questions
about their socio-psychological linguistic problems related to their learning. Questions 47 to 50
were to collect the suggestions and opinions of the students to solve the problems of learning
English language.
The questionnaires were distributed to the students from scheduled caste and scheduled
tribe families who participated in the test paper. Proper instructions were given before answering
the questions. Students had various doubts when they began to write and all of them were
clarified in detail and they were motivated to write correct and original answers based on their
own personal experiences. The details of their responses are given in the following pages.
The same questionnaires were also been distributed to students from Scheduled Caste and
Scheduled Tribe families studying in various similar undergraduate colleges in these two districts
of North Kerala in person and sometimes with the help of teachers who were engaging English
classes in those colleges. The same questionnaires were also been distributed in the selected
hostels for scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students and in the selected Harijan colonies in
the various parts of these districts of Kerala. In these hostels there were students studying in
various schools and colleges scattered in the various parts of the northern districts. Analysis of
the details collected are given in the following pages of the present study.
The next attempt was to conduct personal interviews to collect the information regarding
the socio psychological and linguistic problems of the scheduled caste and scheduled tribe
students in the colleges from the heads of colleges, teachers, wardens of pre-matric and post-
matric hostels of scheduled cast and scheduled tribe students, from the experts in the field of
education of such students, administrators, social workers, community leaders and from the well
30
wishers who are interested in the upliftment of the scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students.
The details of the opinions are given in the following pages.
The investigator visited in person and in the company of local people various colonies of
scheduled caste and scheduled tribe population scattered in the various parts of these districts to
observe and to collect first hand information about the atmosphere, surroundings, economic
status and other familial problems of the scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students.
Detailed opinions and suggestions were collected from the following colonies scattered in
the various parts of these districts of Kerala.
1. Aduvad colony near Mavoor, Calicut
2. Ammavankada Panakkachal Girijan Colony near Koodaranchi, Calicut
3. Ammayikkode and Vattachira colonies near Kodancherry, Calicut
4. Chengottukavu Colony near Koyilandi
5. Cheruthadam and Eranjiparamba Harijan colonies in Chathamangalam Panchayath, Calicut.
6. Eranchikkunnu Colony of Pullaloor, Madavoor
7. Kakkadampoyil Colony near Tiruvampady
8. Kannadichola Harijan Colony at Kayalam near Peruvayal, Calicut.
9. Karassery Tribal Colony near Mokkam
10. Kattileri mala colony near Chelannur
11. Kattunayikka Colony, Kudilpara, Pashukkadavu near Kuttiady, Calicut.
12. Kuliramutti Harijan Colony, Kalaranthira near Thamarassery, Calicut.
13. Kushava Colony, Chakkadamkunu, Pazhur, Calicut
14. Kuzhipramala Scheduled Tribe Colony near Madavoor, Narikkuni, Calicut
15. Malikathadam colony, R.E.C. Calicut
16. Mutheri Harijan Colony, Mukkom, Calicut
17. Nellikkooth Colony, Meenpatta mala near Kuttiady
31
18. Pambizhanchapara Colony near Thamarassery
19. Poovaramala Colony near Chulliyodemukku, Koduvally
20. Priyadarshini Harijan Colony, Parayarukotta, near R.E.C.Calicut
21. Puthukkudi Kunnummal Colony near Koduvally, Calicut
22. Sarkar Colony, Nellikkaparamba, Mokkam
23. The Tribal Colonies of Kolikkunnu and Chembily near ward I Kodencherry, Calicut
24. Theyyappara colony near Thiruvampady Calicut.
25. Vattoliparamba colony, Manassery, Calicut
26. Vettiozhincha thottam Colony near Thamarassery, Calicut.
27. Chelembra Colony at Tirurangadi Taluk near University of Calicut, Malappuram
28. Chenayakunnu Colony near Edavanna,Malappuram
29. Keezhuparamba Harijan Colony, Karakkunnu colony, Kuzhimanna colony, musliyarangadi
colony, in Eranad Taluk, Malappuram.
30. Mundakkadavu Tribal Colony near Karulayi, Nilambur, Malappuram.
31. Nediyirippu Colony near Kondotty, Malappuram
32. Ponniyam Kurshi Colony near Perinthalmanna, Malappuram
33. Thiruvali Harijan Colony, Vandoor colony, and Vazhikkadavu colony in Nilambur Taluk,
Malappuram.
410 students studying in various classes and staying in nearly 50 Tribal, Harijan and
Girijan colonies were interviewed to collect the details regarding their problem they faced in the
field of education especially socio psychological and linguistic problems in learning English.
The details collected from them are given in the following chapter of this study. 252 parents, 22
social workers and many well wishers who were in the field of welfare and development of the
backward students responded. The details of there are given in the following chapter.
As a part of the study the investigator interviewed the following officials in the field of
tribal development and in the education of scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students.
32
1. Director, Directorate of Census Operation, Vellayani, Ponkulam, Thiruvananthapuram.
2. Director, Ambedkar Memorial Rural Institute for development of tribal students Wynad.
3. Director, Kerala State Backward Class Development Corporation Limited, Kasaragode.
4. Director, Pre-Examination Coaching Centre, Cherooty road, Calicut.
5. Director Backward Development Corporation, West Hill, Calicut.
6. Tribal Development Officer, Thamarassery.
7. Scheduled Caste Development Officer, Civil Station, Calicut
8. Taluk Development Officers for Scheduled Castes, Malappuram and Calicut
9. Research Assistant, KIRTADS, Chevayur, Calicut.
10. Shanmugadas, Junior Employment Officer, Kayinatti, Wynad.
11. Mohamed Chettoor, Employment Officer, Nilambur, Malappuram.
12. T.K. Abdurahiman, Regional Deputy Director of Higher Secondary Education, Calicut.
13. Rajagopalan, Coaching Cum Guidance Centre for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes,
Vellimadkunnu, Calicut.
14. Librarian, KIRTADS, Calicut
15. Special Extension Officer, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Kannur
16. Sidheeq Ali Tribal Welfare Officer, Mananthavady.
17. T.T.Antony, Director, Scheduled Tribe Development, Vikas Bhavan, Thiruvananthapuram.
18. Roxy, Field Officer, Tribal Development, Calicut.
19. Prema and Deepa, Library Assistants, Directorate of Census, Poonkulam.
20. Rajasekharan, Investigator, Directorate of Census Corporation.
21. Heads of various High Schools, Higher Secondary Schools and Vocational Higher
Secondary Schools in the Districts of North Kerala.
33
The opinions, suggestions and recommendations collected from them are given in the
following chapter of the study. Besides, the investigator interviewed various well wishers and
educationalists who are interested in the educational progress of the scheduled caste and
scheduled tribe students. The responses collected from them are also given in the present study.
As a part of the field study the investigator collected response and details from the
following hostels for scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students.
1. Unnikrishnan Memorial Hostel for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Students, near
Mokkom.
2. Hostel for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Students, near Govt. Higher Secondary
School, Mavoor.
3. Vettilappara Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Hostel, Malappuram.
4. Hostel for Tribal Students Nilambur
5. Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Hostel at East Hill, Calicut.
6. Hostel for Tribal Students near C.W.R.D.M. Kunnamangalam.
7. Ambedkar Memorial Model Residential School Hostel, Nalloornad
8. Hostel for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Students near Mangalassery, Kanchangad.
The details collected from the wardens, students, tutors and officials are given in the
following chapter.
Tribe and Caste
There are no specific criteria to distinguish a tribe from a caste. According to G.S.
Ghurya a tribe is defined as “a community occupying a common geographic area and having a
similar language and culture or belief and practices” or “tribe is a society with a linguistic,
cultural and political boundary”. Scholars like G.S. Ghurye, T.B.Naik, Varrier and Elvin have
used different criteria like religion, geographical isolation, language, economic backwardness
and political organization for distinguishing caste from tribe.
34
On the basis of religion, it is said that the religion of tribals is “Animism” and that of the
people with caste system is Hinduism. According to writers like Hutton (1963) and Baily (1960)
the tribals are not Hindus but are animists. Animism is “the belief that all animate and inanimate
objects are permanently or temporarily inhabited by spirits, all activities are caused by these
spirits, spirits have power over the lives of men, men can be possessed by these spirits, and they
can be influenced by magic. The people with caste system believe in Hinduism and the
characteristics of Hinduism are “dharma, bhakti, karma and rebirth.”
The tribals live in geographically isolated regions like hills, mountains and jungles but
caste Hindus in the plains. Due to isolation and negligible contacts with their civilized
neighbours, tribals are comparatively less civilized than the caste Hindus. Using language as a
criterion for difference between a tribe and caste, it is said that each tribe has its own language
but not a caste. Economically tribals are more primitive and backward than caste Hindus.
Some people define the tribals as “Adivasis” or “Aborigines”. They are the poorest
people in the country.
The word ‘tribe’ has two connotations in Webster’s dictionary. (1) groupism or
community fellowship and (2) distinctiveness which may include primitiveness. Among the
factors determining a tribe, the backwardness (economic as well as social) and aloofness are
important. The term tribe signifies “a group of people speaking a common language, observing
uniform rules of social organization and working together for common purpose.” They are a
group of primitive or barbarous classes under recognized chiefs and with uniform culture of way
of life.
In the Handbook published by the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Department
there are nearly 55 types of scheduled tribes and 67 types of scheduled castes living in the
various parts of Kerala. A brief description of some of these classes is appended in the present
study. As per the investigation and from the records it is understood that all these classes of
people are not seen in every districts of northern Kerala. As an example in Wynad district
scheduled tribe population is more when compared to the population in other districts in North
Kerala. Among the scheduled tribes in Kerala only some particular class are seen in Wynad
35
district while the other classes are scattered in the various regions of the Kerala state. A detailed
analysis is given in the following chapters.
The Term “Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes”
The word “caste” is of Portuguese origin being a form of “casta” meaning “race” or
“breed”. It is a word used by the early Portuguese settlers in India to describe the different
sections of the Hindu community. According to G.S.Ghurye’s “The word ‘Casta’ was used by
the sacred council of Goa in 1567. In some parts of the province of Goa the Hindus were divided
into distinct ‘castas’ of greater or less dignity, which were maintained so superstitiously that no
one of a higher could eat or drink with those of a lower” (14). Another writer Gracia de orta used
this word in 1563 as “no one changed from his father’s trade and that all those of the same
‘casta’ of shoemakers were the same” when the Portuguese came to India in the 16th century
they found the Hindu community divided into many separate groups which they called ‘castas’
meaning tribes, clans or families.
The Hindu society is divided into a number of distinct sections known as castes.
According to their position in the social scale they may be high or low. In olden days the
members of the same caste ate and drank together but not with members of an inferior caste.
Even today some castes have a common hereditary occupation or handicraft. The most
important and distinctive feature of the caste system is that of marriage within the caste. In some
castes men must marry women of their own caste only (endogamy) but in some other castes of
aborigines there is exogamy (men can marry women of another caste). A caste is generally
subdivided into sub-castes, most of which are replicas of the main caste both in the matter of
food and drink and in the matter of intermarriage. The member of a sub caste will marry only a
fellow member of the sub caste. Sub caste is less important than a caste because the caste
determines an individual’s place in Hindu society and his relations with other Hindus but his sub
caste affects only his relations with fellow-members of his caste. The sub-castes are further
subdivided into various exogamous groups.
The organization of Hindu society in different strata has ancient authority. The laws of
Manu (also called the Code of Manu or the institutes of Manu) which Hindus believe to be of
divine revelation and revere as the highest authority on their ancient customs. According to this
36
law there are four “varnas” or orders in the social systems. They are (1) The Brahmans (the
priestly and learned class) (2) the Kshattriyas (the military and governing class) (3) the Vaisyas
(traders and agriculturists and those who keep cattle) and (4) the sudras (the servants and menials
of the three higher orders and were also engaged in industrial work). The first three were
distinguished as “twice born”. Besides having the physical birth which is common to all, they
had a second spiritual birth through being initiated into the mysteries of religion and were
invested with the sacred thread. This is a kind of string made up of strands of thread, which is
looped over and hangs from the left shoulder. The “Sudras” were “once born” and hence no right
therefore to wear the sacred thread. They were regarded as service class, whose duty was to
minister to the twice born. Outside these four orders there were miscellaneous, mass of out casts.
The lowest of these were the chandalas, who were most allowed to live within the village. They
had a miserable existence, little better, indeed, than the animals.
Caste is not merely a social institution but part of Hinduism. It is a socio religious system.
Caste is the steel frame binding together the many beliefs massed together in Hinduism.
According to Barth a caste is the express badge of Hinduism. “The man who is a member of a
caste is a Hindu; he who is not, is not a Hindu”. Caste is a more important feature of Hinduism,
each caste maintains its own customs, and respects those of others. Through out India caste
remains the basis of social order, with its numerous divisions, each of which has a social value
in relation only to other divisions. The caste system is more rigid in south India and it even
affects the lay out of villages. In south India in some areas, even today, the houses of the
Brahmans are in one quarter and those of the sudras in another and among the latter, any caste
that is sufficiently numerous will have a separate block. The houses of less reputable castes are
outside the villages and those of the degraded castes are still farther from the villages. In south
India many of the castes are divided into two sections called the right hand (Balangai) and the
left hand (Yedagai) castes. The cultivating and trading castes belong to the right hand section and
the artisan castes such as workers in various metals, stone and leather belong to left hand castes.
Sherring in his book In Hindu castes and tribes says: “caste is the most baneful, hard-
hearted and cruel social system that could possibly be invented for damning the human race.”
Meredith Townsend says: “I firmly believe caste to be a marvelous discovery, a form of
socialism which through ages protected Hindu society from anarchy and from the worst evils of
37
industrial and competitive life. It is an automatic poor law to begin with and the strongest form
known of Trade union.” Some believe that the caste system was an invention, an artificial
product, due to the machinations of crafty brahmanas.
The characteristics of the caste system which are common to castes and such castes are
given below.
(1) Heredity (theory of “a man is assigned to a particular caste by birth in that caste”),
(2) endogamy and exogamy (restriction as to marrying in the same castes and not marrying the
relatives) (3) restrictions as to food (what food and water may be taken or not taken and from
whom) (4) occupation (members of most castes follow certain occupations and no others) (5)
gradation of castes (some being at the top in the social scale and others being deemed to be so
low that they are untouchable).
Under the criteria used by the Mandal Commission for identifying a specific caste “there
are three indicators (1) social (2) educational and (3) economic.” As per the records collected
from the hand book of scheduled caste and scheduled tribe department 67 varieties of scheduled
castes are there in the various parts of Kerala state. This study is an attempt to investigate the
problems of students who are from the families of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and to
suggest solutions to solve their identified problems. The techniques used for this purpose are
mentioned in the subsequent chapters of this study.
A detailed list of communities included under scheduled castes and scheduled tribes (as
per SC and ST Amendment Act 1976) is given below:
Scheduled Castes (Kerala)
1. Adi Andhra
2. Adi Dravida
3. Adi Karnataka
4. Ajala
5. Aruntha thiyar
38
6. Baira
7. Bakuda
8. Bandi
9. Bathada
10. Bellara
11. Bharatar
12. Boyan
13. Chakkiliyan
14. Chamar, Muchi
15. Chandala
16. Cheruman
17. Domban
18. Gavara
19. Goodayali
20. Godda
21. Gosangi
22. Hasla
23. Holeya
24. Kadaiyan
25. Kakkalan
26. Kalladi
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27. Kanakkan, Padanna
28. Karimpalan
29. Kavar
30. Koosa
31. Kootan, Koodan
32. Kudumban
33. Kuravan, Sidhanar, Kuravar, Kuravaha
34. Maila
35. Malayan
36. Mannan
37. Mavilan
38. Moger
39. Mundala
40. Nala Keyara
41. Nalkadaya
42. Nayadi
43. Padannan
44. Pallan
45. Palluvan
46. Pampada
47. Panan
40
48. Panchama
49. Pariyan, Parayan, Sambavar, Paraya
50. Paravan
51. Pathiyan
52. Perumannan
53. Pulayan, Chermar, Pulaya, Cherman
54. Pulaya, Vettuvan
55. Pulkirai, Vannan
56. Raneyar
57. Sama gara
58. Samban
59. Semman
60. Thandan
61. Thoti
62. Vallon
63. Valluvan
64. Vannan
65. Velan
66. Vetan
67. Vettuvan
List of Scheduled Tribes (Kerala)
41
1. Adiyan
2. Arandan
3. Eravallan
4. Hill Pulaya
5. Irular, Irulan
6. Kadar
7. Kammara
8. Kanikkaran, Kanikkar
9. Kattunayakkan
10. Kochuvelan
11. Kondakapus
12. Konda reddis
13. Koa raga
14. Kota
15. Kudiya, Mela kudi
16. Kuri che chan
17. Kurumans
18. Kurumbas
19. Maha Malasar
20. Malai Arayan
21. Malai Vedan
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22. Malai Pandaram
23. Malakkurvan
24. Malasar
25. Malayan
26. Malaya rayar
27. Mannan
28. Marati
29. Muthuvan, Mudugar, Muduvan
30. Palleyan
31. Palliyar
32. Palliyan
33. Paniyan
34. Ulladan
35. Urally
Socio, Psychological and Linguistic Problems
Reinhart James defines social problems as “a situation confronting a group or a section of
society which inflicts injurious consequences that can be handled only collectively” (Reinhart
James in Social Problems and Social Policy. Along with the techniques and methods mentioned
above other similar methods like social survey method, arranging case studies, and multiple
factor method have also been used by the investigator. Along with them interconnected factors
like socio-economic status, sub-culture, residential background, inter and intra family relations,
and inherited traits of the learners have also been collected and investigated.
Dictionary of Contemporary English defines psychological problems as “problems
connected with psychology while psychology is the study or science of the mind and the way it
works and influences the behaviour” (Long man’s Dictionary of Contemporary English). Most
often learners face problems connected with their psychological needs. Educational psychology
43
attempts to define, describe and explain the changes that take place in individual in various
stages of his development. Educational psychology helps to understand whether a student’s
nature is modified by the environmental forces operating on the process of learning. It also helps
to study the child’s in born emotions like love, anger and fear, as they bear upon learning and
teaching. According to Davis “Educational psychology has made distinct contribution to the
education through its analysis of pupil potentialities and differences as revealed by means of
various types of psychological tests. It has also contributed directly to the knowledge of people
growth and maturation during the school years” (“Applicability of applications of psychology
with particular reference to classroom learning”, Journal of Educational Research, p.37).
For successful teaching it is essential for a teacher to understand his children, how they
grow, develop, learn and adjust. He should be a diagnostician who can discover special
difficulties of children and at the same time possesses the requisite skill for carrying forward the
necessary remedial work.
Studies of experts in the fields of education has revealed that students from backward
communities especially scheduled caste and scheduled tribe have psychological problems in their
acquisition of languages. An attempt has been made in this study to identify those specific
psychological problems of such students in learning English as a second language.
The word linguistic is the adjective of language and linguistic problems can be defined
as the problems connected with language.” S.K.Varma, has remarked in the book Modern
Methods of Teaching English that students who are acquiring a new language like English after
their acquisition of the first language or mother tongue most often they face problems connected
with the language interference” (13). When a baby is born his brain is empty like a clean slate.
Later he acquires languages from his home and his surroundings. Home is the first school and
parents are the first teachers. It is easy to acquire the first language since there is nothing in the
brain at the time of the acquisition of the first language. But at the time of the acquisition of a
foreign language like English there are language interferences. These interferences may be from
the mother tongue, other tongue or from a second language other than English.
The words “second language” and ‘North Kerala” are two other terms mentioned in the
study. According to Wilkins, the terms “foreign language” and “second language” are sometimes
44
used interchangeably. However, technically speaking there is a distinction between these two
terms. “A foreign language is a language that is not used for any normal day to day social
interaction in the country where it is learnt. A second language on the other hand is one which
without being the native language of any social group in the country is used for such purposes as
the conduct of commerce, industry, law administration, politics and education.”
In India since English is considered as the official link language an important place has
been given for it in the curriculum of Kerala state syllabus and it has been taught in the schools
and colleges as a compulsory foreign language.
Kerala state is situated in the southern side of India with 15 states. In the term “North
Kerala” as referred in this study 5 districts like Kasaragode, Kannur, Wynad, Kozhikode and
Malappuram are included. The reason for the limitation is that when compared to other districts
in Kerala, the population of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in the districts are more in
number and are scattered in the various areas of these districts. When India got freedom there
were three kingdoms in the present Kerala state. They were Travancore, Cochin and Malabar.
Later Travancore and Cochin were united to form Travancore Cochin state. On 1st July 1949
Malabar became the part of Madras state. Later on 1st November 1957, Travancore, Cochin and
Malabar states were united and the present Kerala state was formed. “North Kerala”, mentioned
in the present study is a part of the old Malabar.
Though careful attempt has been done to make this study clear, precise and objective as
possible, some limitations might be there due to the facts that are indicated below:
1. The study is limited to identify the problems connected with only one undergraduate
subject ie. English.
2. The study is conducted on the basis of data collected from selected colleges in these
districts of Kerala while there are a lot of institutions in the same districts.
3. There are limited number of representatives from scheduled caste and scheduled tribe
families from whom that data have been collected in the present study.
4. The investigator has not tested the intelligence of SC and ST students before collecting
the data.
45
Considering the limitations of time and resources available for a study like this, the
investigator had to limit and hence the limitations mentioned above have occurred in the present
study. But every effort has been done to make the present study as precise as possible by
applying scientific techniques and doing close observation and analysis. The methods adopted
for this are clearly given in the subsequent chapter.
46
CHAPTER 4
DATAE AND FINDINGS
All the essential datae given in the chapter have been collected from various sourses based on
questionnaires and opinionaires distributed to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students in
the undergraduate classes in Malappuram and Kozhikkode,their parents,social
workers,colonies,teachers,hostels and such other places or persons who are directly or indirectly
connected with the welfare and study of these students.
Malappuram District
Manorama year book (2010) gives the following details of Malappuram District.
Formation of the district :16th june 1969.
Area :3550 sq km
Total population(2001 census):3625471
Male :1754576
Female :1870895
Urban :356570
Rural :3269301
Hindus :1057418
Muslims :2484576
Christians :80650
Sikh :221
Budhas :387
Others :124
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Scheduled Castes :285442
Scheduled Tribes :12267
Literacy rate :6
Villages :135
Grama panchayaths :102
The 6 taluks in Malappuram districts are:
No. Taluks Area (in Sq. K.M) Houses Population
1 Ernad 703.85 135253 782850
2 Nilambur 1343.29 95800 528756
3 Perinthalmanna 505.391 90656 528756
4 Tirur 447.68 131732 834817
5 Tirurangadi 322.04 99303 619635
6 Ponnani 2003.5 59569 349473
Educational Institutions
Institutions Total Govt. Aided Unaided
School 1379 83 784 51
Higher Secondary 164 83 39 42
Vocational Higher Secondary 26 23 3 -
CBSE 35 - - -
ICSE 2 - -
Kendriya Vidyalaya 1 - - -
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Jawahar Vidyalaya 1 - - -
To collect enough details connected with the problems of Scheduled Castes and
Scheduled Tribe students in learning English, the following Colleges in malappuram districts
have been visited by the investigator.
Unity women's college,Manjeri,Malappuram
SS Arts and Science college,Areacode,Malappuram
P.S.M.O College,Thirurangadi
N.S.S College,Manjeri
Amal College of Arts and Science,Nilambur,Mapappuram
Govt.College,Perinthalmanna
Assabah College of Arts and Science,Malappuram
Blossom Arts and Science college,Kondotty
M.E.S College,Mambad.
E.M.E.A College,Kondotty
I.H.R.D College,Kuzhimanna.
As per the details collected from Scheduled Caste development Office, Malappuram,
there are 15 scheduled castes extension offices and 8 Prematric hostels for scheduled caste
students in Malappuram district. The Prematric hostels are at Vandoor (Girls), Trikkalangode
(Boys), Pattikkad (Boys), Mookkuthala (Girls), Edappal (Boys), Peruvallur (Boys) and at
Manjeri (Boys).
Two tribal extension offices in Malappuram are at Nilambur and Edvanna. Ten Pre-
matric hostels for scheduled tribe students are in the following places: Manimooli (Boys),
Odakkayam (Boys), Pookkottupadam (Boys), Edakkara (Boys), Nilambur (Girls), Nilambur
(Boys), Pothukal (Girls), Chungathara (Girls), Chungathara (Boys), Mambad (Boys).
49
Data needed for the study were also been collected from Vettilappara Scheduled Caste
and Scheduled Tribe Hostel near Areacode, Hostel for Tribal students near Nilambur, Chelembra
Colony near University of Calicut, Chenayakkunnu Colony near Edavanna, Nediyiruppu Colony,
Thiruvali Harijan Colony and from Ponniyam Kurshi Colony, Malappuram.
Some of the notable details collected from these sources in Malappuram district are given
below:
Nilambur is a forest region in Malappuram which is situated in the Ernad Taluk. The
main communities living in this thick forest are Cholanaikkans, Paniyan, Kuruman and
Uralis. With the help of the teachers of Ashramam School, Nilambur questionnaires
supplied to the students in undergraduate classes to understand their problems in learning
English. Some of the notable responses are given below.
Learning English is a difficult task to a number of students because the content of the text
books are not related to local situations.
Teachers of English are not co-operative and fail to understand the learning problems of
S.C. and S.T. students
Teachers are not encouraging such students to mingle with students from forward
communities and thus to make them confident without a feeling of inferiority.
The home environment of these students do not encourage the study of English.
The students from Urali tribes speak a tribal language which is a mixture of Malayalam
and Tamil slang. It is crude and unintelligible. They are far below in the standard of
English since the teachers of English fail to teach them by translating English sentences
into their dialect.
Some other responses collected from various other sources are given below:
A large number of students face problem in understanding instruction in the classroom.
Lack of confidence in learning English and lack of sympathetic attitude from the part of
teachers.
50
Majority of students neither get the help of learning English from their parents or from
the friends.
The problems related to Accommodation physical facilities and finance.
Cholanaickan
Cholanaikan tribe lives in the upper Ghat section (Chola) of the Nilambur valley.
According to Ananda Bhanu they are also known as “the cave men of Kerala” (The
Cholanaikkan of Kerala, 136). They lead a semi-nomadic life in the forests and have limited
contact with the main stream. They have been considered an offshoot of the major tribe
Kattunaikkan. They live in rock shelters (alai or kallualai) or in open camp sites making instant
leaf shelters (mana) for permanent abodes. Though 50 percent of them are provided with houses,
they still continue their semi-nomadic life.
Ashram school of Manjeri has been functioning since 1993 for the tribal students. From
the teachers working in this school it is understood that many of the parents of Kattunaikkan
students are unwilling to send their children to this school since it is 50 kilometres away from
their habitat. As a result of the continuous pressure from the part of the officials more than 2
dozen Cholanaikkan children are studying in the Ashramam school now.
Kurumbar
Near Manjeri there are some hamlets of Kurumbar. Their language is a mixture of Tamil
and Malayalam. Hamlet of the Kurumbar is known as “Ooru”. Each ‘Ooru’ has a headman called
‘Oorumooppan’.
As per the details from the socio-economic survey, the literacy rate of the tribal groups in
Kerala is 26.10%. The highest literacy rate is reported to be among the Koragas (54.07%) and
the lowest is among the Cholanaikkan (9.17%). The literacy rate of Koraga is high, the quality of
education received is poor. It is observed that only 28.05% of the tribals have school facilities
within the radius of 1 kilometre. School facilities are totally absent in the Cholanaikkan area.
High school facilities are not available to Kurumbar and Kadar within the radius of 5 km.
51
Some of the main reasons connected with the problems of learning English are given
below:
Apathy of parents
Financial backwardness
Medium of education
Lack of motivation
Distance to schools and colleges
Shortage of motor facilities and motorable roads
Lack of occupation and income of parents for buying books
Lack of infrastructure facilities like land, house, road, power and drinking water.
The following responses and suggestions were given by Dr k Muhammed
Ismail,Department of English,SS College,Areacode, Malappuram regarding the socio-
psychological and linguistic problems of scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students in learning
English.
S.S.College is a famous college in Malappuram district situated near the bank of river
Chaliyar. Majority of the students in this college are from backward families. Between 20 to 30
percentage of the students are from scheduled caste and scheduled tribe families and have been
coming from the colonies near Areacode, Edavannappara, Cheekode and Elamaram. According
to this teacher, these students are very weak in written English. The parent teacher association is
very active and special coaching programmes are being arranged for students who have
difficulties in learning English. But they are not interested in these classes.
CALICUT
The data collected from various places in Kozhikkode are given below: Calicut,
originally known as ‘Kozhikode’, is a district of historical importance. The formation of this
district was on 01 January 1957. The boundaries of Calicut district are Kannur (north),
Malappuram (South), Wynad (East) and the Arabian Sea (West). This district has a beautiful
seashore of nearly 71 kilometres in length. Logan in his Malabar Manuel says that “until AD 12
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Kozhikode was under the control of ‘Cholathirimar’ and in those days ‘Nediyirippu’ was one of
the business centres of Eranad. ‘Eradikal’ attacked Kozhikode for building their ‘Koyil’ and
‘Kotta’. Later the words ‘Koyil’ and ‘Kotta’ blended together and name Kozhikode as formed.”
Kozhikode was the capital of ‘Samoodiri Kings’ and historically it is famous as the district
where Vasco da gama, the Portuguese explorer landed in the year 1498.
The details collected from Kerala Census (2001) about Calicut district are given below:
District : Kozhikode
Area : 2344 Square K.M.
Total population : 2878498
Taluks : Kozhikode, Badagara, Koyilandi
Villages : 117
Grama panchayaths : 77
Corporation : Kozhikode
Municipalities : Koyilandi, Badagara
National Highways : NH 17, NH 217, NH 213
Famous tourist centres : Thusharagiri, Peruvannamuzhi, Kadalundi,
Kappad
Famous temples : Tali Temple, Kollam Pisharikkavu,
Loganarkavu
Port : Beypore
It is believed that Kozhikode is one of the famous districts in Kerala where the English
education was implemented in the last century. At present there are 12 blocks in Calicut. They
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are Badagara, Thooneri, Kunnummal, Thodannur, Meladi, Perambra, Balusseri, Panthalayani,
Chelannur, Koduvalley, Kunnamangalam and Kozhikode.
The details given below are collected from the office of the District Educational Officer,
Kozhikode on 20th December 2010.
There are 3 educational districts in Kozhikode. They are (a) Thamarassery (b) Badagara
and (c) Kozhikode. There are 38 Arts and science colleges in Kozhikkode District. The Deputy
Director of collegiate education District expressed his views that majority of the students in
various colleges in Calicut are from very poor family backgrounds. Students from rich and
educated families get enough facilities and are often admitted in private colleges from where
they get better education. Since such students get motivation and favourable supports for their
studies they have better standards of education when compared to the students from poor
families who are studying in various government colleges and parallel colleges.
1) Majority of the students in undergraduate classes , especially those from scheduled caste and
scheduled tribe families never get enough facilities or motivation to improve their standards
of education. Most of the parents of these children are illiterate and have no time or awareness
to listen to the educational matters of their children. It is a fact that English is a very difficult
subject for the students from scheduled caste and scheduled tribe. They get support neither
from their parents nor from their relatives in improving or in the acquisition of a language like
English.
2) Majority of government colleges in Kozhikode district do not have adequate facilities like
furniture, blackboard, building, light and drinking water. A number of students from
backward families meet their own educational expenses by working as newspaper boys,
helpers and as coolies during their holidays. Many such students never get enough time to
spend on their studies and very often poverty compel them to dropout from their educational
institutions.
3. Majority of the teachers working in the colleges in Calicut district are guest teachers. These
temporary teachers are untrained and are without enough experience. Their remuneration is on
hour basis and many such teachers are engaging English classes in various institutions at the
54
same time. According to the District Educational Officer most of the temporary teachers are
business-minded and have no responsibility and often fail to pay individual attention to the
problem of the students, especially students from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
Thus students are not getting access and chances, for the effective learning of English.
4. In many of the private colleges in Calicut there are facilities like language laboratory and
audio visual aids, to help the students who are backward in English. These facilities are to an
extent, helpful to them in acquiring language skills and to improve their pronunciation and
written English. But majority of students from scheduled caste and scheduled tribe families
studying in government colleges never get facilities like these.
5. The District Educational Officer, Calicut says that Parent Teachers Association can do a lot to
improve the quality of education and hence to solve the problems of poor students especially
from tribal families by arranging special coaching programmes. In most of the institutions the
Parent Teacher Association are not working properly.
6. In government colleges especially in city areas, students are not getting enough working days.
During festival seasons like Onam, Christmas and Bakrid, various cultural programmes and
festival fairs are being arranged by the government in these institutions and hence many
working days are lost. Flood relief camps, youth festivals, meetings arranged by political
parties and similar programmes are also being arranged in city areas and matters like these
affect the education of the students.
7. According to the district educational officer, majority of the students studying in the city area
colleges that are situated in the centre of the town (eg. Malabar Christian College,Providence
womens college,Guruvayurappan College,Govt.Arts and science college)) are from backward
families. Most often these students fail in subjects like English because they never get
concentration in their studies due to the occasional bandhs, hartals, demonstrations and
processions arranged by the political parties.
From the explanations given by some of the teachers who have been teaching scheduled
castes and scheduled tribe students it is understood that:
55
1. Children from upper class scheduled caste and scheduled tribe families have less problems in
learning subjects like English and very often such students have excellent academic records
while compairing them with other students who come from middle class and lower class
families. These students have a more positive attitude toward education.
2. Parent Teachers Organisations in many colleges have been arranging special coaching
programmes in English for weaker students from scheduled castes and scheduled tribe
families. Social movements and caste organizations can motivate the students to attend such
classes and it may gradually help to solve the problems connected with the learning of
English. In many institutions Studying Aids like: ‘High School English Grammar and
Composition’ written by Wren and Martin and other similar books are available free of cost
for students from such families. But most often these students are unaware of these facilities
and as a result these books often reach the hands of students from other communities.
3. According to some teachers economic factors and suppressive caste ideology are the main
reasons for the backwardness of these students. Majority of the students from these families
have family problems and consequences of poverty. Thus socio economic and cultural
obstacles prevent them from acquiring proper education in an effective manner. According
to them the students from these families face the problems like the low socio-economic status
of parents, the cultural milieu of lower class homes, the lack of educational experience on the
part of the parents and absence of achievement motivation. All these have been found to be
the problems connected with the educational achievement of the students.
The views expressed by Mr.VM Hussan kutty,principal,M.A.M.O College Mukkom
regarding the problems of scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students in learning English are
given below:
M.A.M.O College is situated in mukkom near Kozhikkode. It is situated in an area of 10
acres in an old building and with enough educational facilities for the students. Nearly 1500
students are studying in this college and among them nearly 60 percent of the students are from
backward families. Nearly 30 percent students from the backward families are from scheduled
caste and scheduled tribe families. Some of these students are living near mukkom and near by
56
places in rented houses and are from Tamilnadu and Karnataka states. Among them there are
students from the following sub-classes under scheduled castes and scheduled tribe communities.
(a) Paniya, (b) Kuruma, (c) Paraya, (d) Kalladi, (e) Kanakka (f) Muthuva.
Majority of their parents are coolies engaged in cable work, fishing, pottery and other
jobs. When compared to students from other communities these students are very weak in
subjects like English and do not get enough motivation and facilities to improve their standards
in learning English language. These families have no settled life and often wander about seeking
jobs on contract basis. Occasional family quarrels due to drinking habits of parents affect their
children and many of these students drops out from their studies.
The views expressed by Mr.Abdul Kareem,Lecturer in English,Govt college ,Kodanchery
are given below:
Kodanchery Govt. College is situated near Thamarassery near the boarder of Wynad.
There are nearly four tribal colonies and two Harijan colonies near this college. Nearly 25
percentage of the students in this college classes are from scheduled caste and scheduled tribe
families. These students are from the communities like Kanakkan, Cheruman, Paniyan,
Kuruman and Pariah. A number of these students are very poor in English due to the occasional
absence from their classes. During harvesting season students from tribal families are compelled
to help their parents and as a result many of them fail in continuing their education due to the
shortage of attendance. Special coaching in English has been arranged in this college but
students from tribal families do not show any interest and hence the acquisition of English
language becomes a great burden to such students.
The view expressed by Mr. K.Moidu and Mr.Anwar, Assistant professors, Government
college,Mokeri regarding the problems of scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students in
learning English are given below. Government college Mokeri is nearly 60 kilometers away from
Calicut city. Nearly 25 percent of the students in this college are from backward, scheduled
caste and scheduled tribe families. Majority of these students are from colonies situated near
Kuttiady in Calicut District. The college authorities have been arranging special coaching in
English for the students from backward families. But very often students from such families are
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unwilling to attend such classes. A number of these students have economic problems and are
compelled to help their parents in paddy fields, tapping and in similar types of jobs. Counselling
and arranging awareness class for parents may help to improve and motivate in learning and
hence to solve difficulties in learning subjects like English.
According to the details given by Basheer,English teacher,Govt.Arts
college,Kozhikkode,majority of the students from scheduled caste and scheduled tribe families
cannot read even a single sentence without committing mistakes. Some examples of common
errors made by such students in reading English words are given below:
form is read as foram
colours as kalarrrs
patterns as paatterrnns
earlier as eayrrlierrr
universal as younooniverrsaal
personal as peerrsons
zoo as jooo
pleasure as plajere
observation as abseerrvation
term as teerrmme
singer as sinker
It is understood that these students very often make mistakes like this because of the
influence or pull of their mother tongue.
The following Colleges in Kozhikkode district co-operated by giving information regarding the
problems.
Dayapuram college of Arts and Science.
Govt.College,Koyilandi
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Lizza college,Thamarassry
KMO college,Koduvally.
MAMO College,Mukkom
Markaz College,Karanthur
St.Joseph's College,Devegiri
Farook College,Kozhikkode
Christian College,Kozhikkode
SN College,Chelannur
SS college,Kodiyathur
The Observations collected are given below,
1.students from sc and st families whose parents are educated have less problems in
understanding English.Such students are getting more encouragement and motivation.
2.In a number of families there is the shortage of electricity,learnig facilities and
encouragements.
3.30-40% of students responded that they cannot follow English because of wrong methode of
teaching.
4. Besides the problems indicated above a great number of the students both from the SC and
ST families have some other symptoms commonly related to learning disabilities. Some of
those problems are given below:
Poor performance on group tests
Poor memory power
Slowness in reading and writing English
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Confusion caused by instructions
Delays, disorders, and deviations in listening and speaking
Difficulties in reading, writing and in spelling
Learning disabilities more common in boys than girls
Irregular spelling, pronunciation, and structure of the English language.
Writing disability called ‘Dysphasia’ or ‘aphasia’
Impaired written language ability like impairments in handwriting, spelling, in
organization of needs and in composition. This disability is called “disgraphia”.
Disorders of speaking and listening
Reading disability called ‘Dyslexia’
From the analysis of the questionnaires collected from the students it is understood that
students from scheduled caste and scheduled tribe families have a lot of problems in
understanding English language in their classrooms. Beyond the notable complaints and
problems indicated above it is understood that there are some other problems also that affect
their proper understanding of the language.
The opinions expressed by Mr. Karunakaran, Director, Coaching cum Guidance Centre
for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Vellimadukunnu, Calicut and by the Director, Pre-
examination Coaching Centre, Cherooty road, Calicut are given below:
These coaching centres have been arranging special coaching and guidance for scheduled
caste and scheduled tribe students. Along with this study aids references books, and pocket
money are also being supplied to the students from the scheduled caste and scheduled tribe
families. The authorities often appoint efficient and specialized teachers in these centres for
providing proper guidance and counselling to the students from these communities. Though
enough facilities are given the numbers of students who attend these classes are very few.
According to these officials, coaching centres like this are very effective and, to an extent,
helpful to understand the problems of such students and to solve them. But the ignorance and
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lack of interest on the part of the learners prevent the authorities from achieving success in their
attempts.
Officials in the field of the development of tribal students like the Tribal Extension
Officers, Thamarassery, Kalpetta, and Malappuram expressed their opinions which given below.
1. Very often students from scheduled caste and scheduled tribe families fail to secure good
education due to financial problems. A sound financial position is a prerequisite for not
only admitting a child in a good school but also in providing a conducive environment at
home. Parents of weak economic position very often admit their children in schools
which do not possess even minimum requirements. According to them poverty has a
direct bearing on home conditions and it places restraints on parents in meeting the food
and health requirements of their children. Children from poor homes are handicapped by
poor attendance and higher rates of sickness. This may lead to regular absence from the
classrooms and gradually to difficulties in learning the core subjects like English and
Mathematics.
Many social workers and well-wishers in the field of education and development of
scheduled castes and scheduled tribes were interviewed as part of the study. Advocate P.
Chathukutty, Social Worker, Erimala near R.E.C.Calicut and Mr.P.K. Ayyappan, Social Worker
in Priyadarshini Colony in Chathamangalam Grama Panchayath expressed their opinions that the
education and occupation of the parents have been found to be highly significant in the academic
performance of their children.
The urban slum children grow up in homes where there are no books or newspapers and
are restricted in geographic experience due to the blocks surrounding their dwellings. Their
parents like themselves are likely to have been earlier victims of limited educational exposure.
According to them the most difficult subject to learn from high schools and college
classes is English. The main reasons of this difficulty are lack of proper teaching and training to
the students along with guidance and counseling. Very often teachers of English ignore students
of weaker sections without giving proper guidance and counselling and this may lead, to a great
extent, to problems and difficulties in learning subjects like English.
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According to them in schools and colleges along with Parent Teachers Association (PTA)
the Mothers Parent Teachers Association (M.P.T.A) can also help a lot the students who have
problems in learning English. Overcrowded classes should be divided into batches on the basis
of the learning ability of the students. Arrangements like this may help to identify the existing
problems of the students learning English. The active participation of the Mother’s Parent
Teacher Association (M.P.T.A.) may help to a great extent to pay individual attention to students
and thus eradicate the difficulties faced by students from scheduled caste and scheduled tribe
families in learning English as an essential subject in their curriculum.
According to Baar “the greatest success of an individual as a teacher is in his
implementation of his role (a) as a director of learning, (b) as a friend and counsellor of pupils
(c) as a member of a group of professional persons and (d) as a citizen in various community
activities (The Measurement of Teacher Characteristics and Prediction of Teacher Efficiency
p.169-174).
Interviews were arranged with Mr.T.K. Abdurahiman, Deputy Director of Higher
Secondary Education, Calicut Zone on 10th December 2010 and with Chettoor Mohamed,
Employment Officer, Nilambur (retired), Malappuram on 13th January 2011. Both of these
officers were interested in the education especially in the English education of scheduled caste
and scheduled tribe students. Both of them stressed that the teachers of English, working in the
high schools and colleges in the northern districts of Kerala have lot of responsibilities in
motivating scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students. According to them students in the tribal
areas get very little access and opportunity for learning English. A teacher in those areas should
be a model to them. The problem of students of English is closely related to the effectiveness of
teaching. Some people say the standards of English are falling due to the poor performance of
the students. But the main reason for it according the officials mentioned above are given below:
(a) poor academic qualification of the teachers
(b) poor professional training because of sub standard quality of teacher education centres
(c) disinterest of teachers in their professional growth
(d) entry of less brilliant persons into teaching professionals
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(e) lack of motivation and distaste on the part of teachers
(f) teachers who are overloaded with work and hence do not find time to bring up their
standard
(g) non-participation of teachers in refresher courses related to English teaching.
Responses were collected from high school students from scheduled caste and scheduled
tribe families living in some of the urban areas.
The following details were collected from Mr.K.Gopalakrishnan, District Scheduled
Caste Development Officer, Kozhikode on 29th December 2009.
In Calicut district there are 7 Pre-matric Hostels for Scheduled Caste students. These
hostels are situated in the places noted below.
(a) Prematric Hostel, Kanniparmba, Mavoor
(b) Prematric Hostel, Iringallur
(c) Prematric Hostel, Elathur
(d) Prematric Hostel, Chelannur
(e) Prematric Hostel, Avidanallur, Balussery
(f) Prematric Hostel for Boys, Azhiyoor
(g) Prematric Hostel for Girls, Azhiyoor.
The post-matric Hostels of Calicut district are at Thiruthiyad near Azhakodi Temple,
Calicut and at East Hill Calicut. In every hostels there is a warden, and a watchman. The
authorities appoint special teachers in these hostels for arranging special coaching in subjects
like English, Mathematics and Science.
The details given below were collected from Mr.P.Radhakrishnan, Head Clerk, District
Tribal Development Office, Civil Station, Calicut on 28th December 2009.
In Calicut district the Prematric Scheduled Tribe Hostels are situated of (a) East Hill (b)
Badagara (c) Pookkadavu (d) Kunnamangalam and (e) Puthuppady, near Thamarassery.
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According to the details given by the head clerk it is understood that the “Karimbalan”
tribe had not been included in the list of ‘scheduled tribes’ until the year 2003. Later they were
included in the list and since then their number has increased and ‘Karimbalan tribe’ is more in
number in Calicut like the second populated tribe, ‘the paniyas’. Now, there are nearly 2400
Karimbalan families in Calicut. According to the records published by the Kozhikode district
Panchayath, among the tribal communities in Calicut, Kadar, Muthuvan and Kattunaikkar are
less in number when compared with ‘Paniya’ and ‘Kurichiya’. The ‘Kattunaikka’ colonies in
Calicut are situated in: (a) Cheepilode near Kodencherry, (b) Near Muthappan Puzha,
Tiruvampady and at (c) Kudal para Near Maruthongara, Kuttiadi.
As a part of the study the investigator asked some questions with some of the officers
working in the various offices connected with the education and welfare of the tribal students.
Some of the notable information and suggestions collected from them are given below.
1. Generally the students of high school and college classes are weak in English. The
students from scheduled caste and scheduled tribe families are weaker when compared
with the other section of the students from other communities.
2. Though the government is providing hostel facilities for the high school and college
students and arranging special coaching in subjects like English, students from those
communities are not attending such classes regularly and generally the enrolment of
such students in the hostels are very few in numbeer. The general opinion received
from the wardens of these hostels and from the teachers who have been engaging
coaching classes in English, is that unlike olden days, many of the families are now
‘nuclear families’. Many parents are unwilling to send their children into the hostels
that are very often far away from their houses. From the officials if is understood that
a monthly stipend of Rs.45 along with a lumpsum grant of Rs.220 being supplied to
the tribal students residing in the hostels. Besides this, they are also getting chapels,
umbrella, bag, two sets of dress and uniform for those who are residing in the hostels.
There are many promoters in the various places in the district who have been making
attempts to motivate the students from scheduled caste and scheduled tribe families for
learning subjects like English.
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Mrs. Mary Varghese, District Scheduled Tribe Development Officer, Calicut expressed
her opinion that most often the Scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students fail in S.S.L.C.
examinations especially in English because these students never get enough access to English.
The students in the tribal hostels ignore the special coaching classes for them and keep away
without any interest in learning. She suggested that arranging awareness classes, to an extent,
will be helpful to motivate such students and their parents and hence encouraging the students in
their learning.
The hostels for Scheduled castes and scheduled tribes are run by the financial assistance
from the Tribal Development and from the Harijan Welfare Department, Government of Kerala.
As a part of this study, 2 hostels run by the government and one run by the financial
assistance from a committee were being visited. From the government hostel for scheduled caste
students, Mavoor, the following information were collected.
Total number of SC students in this hostel are 187. Since this hostel is situated near
Government Higher Secondary School, Mavoor and Government Mopla U.P.School, Mavoor, all
the students in this hostel are studying in these two schools. Out of 87 students 51 students are
studying in the high school classes and the remaining 36 are studying in Government Mopla
U.P.School. Out of 51 high school students 28 students are studying in VIII standard, 17 students
in IXth standard and the remaining students in the S.S.L.C. class and colleges. With the
permission of the warden discussions were made with the students on the problems connected
with their learning of English. Questionnaires were supplied to them and necessary instructions
given to answer the questions in the questionnaire. After a detailed analysis of the questionnaires
it could understand that majority of the students residing in the hostel had problems in learning
English. Some of the notable information collected from them are given below.
1. The students of SC and ST communities studying in the high schools and colleges face
problems in learning English due to the faulty method of teaching English.
2. A number of teachers who are engaging the English classes are not permanent teachers.
Very often such teachers of the guest faculty leave the school without prior notice to the
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headmaster and as a result in the remaining period of the academic year the portions
remaining unallotted due to the shortage of new teachers.
3. Though there are provisions for special coaching classes to teach English in the hostels,
the way of teaching is not effective and hence there is no motivation from the students.
Most of the teachers engaging these classes are untrained and hence incompetent.
4. Poor perception and lack of conceptualization unhealthy classroom climate and lack of
scholastic motivation prevent the students from acquiring the English language skills.
5. Though the language plays a crucial role in a child’s environment, the unstimulating
environment at home and hostels, cause language deprivation in the students.
6. A number of the students have problems in reading English due to the confusion of
similar words, difficulty in using phonics and in slow rate learning.
7. Many of the students have difficulty with sentence structure, poor grammar, omitted
words, frequent spelling errors, letter reversals and difficulty in copying from the
blackboard.
8. Some students reported that they face problems in paying attention when listening to the
English class and taking notes.
9. A number of students reported problems in oral communication. These students face
problems in the expression of ideas orally. They have difficulties in using English for the
description of events and stories in a proper sequence.
All the problems mentioned above were given by the students of Mavoor and many of them had
learning disabilities connected with the learning of English. According to Dr.G. Narayana Rao,
Professor, Department of Special Education, Andhra University “some children have normal
intelligence, but they are unable to achieve the basic skills of an expected normal rate. This may
be called a learning disability. Genetic, pre-natal and post-natal factors sometimes lead to
learning disabilities” (Learning Disabilities 10).
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After visiting the SC Hostel at Mavoor, another hostel for scheduled tribe students, near
Kunnamangalam was being visited. This hostel is situated near ‘Cherinchal’ near C.W.R.D.M.
and the following details were collected from the warden of the hostel.
There are 136 students belonging to scheduled tribe communities in these hostels. 22
students out of 36 are studying in Kunnamangalam and Peringalom High Schools. The remaining
14 students have been studying in the neighbouring under graduate colleges in kozhikkode.
Students from various sub tribes like Kurichiyar, Paniyar, Muthuvar and Kurumar are residing in
this hostel and most of them are from various places in the districts of Calicut, Wynad and
Kannur.
Some of the major information collected from the hostel after an interview with the
students and the wardens are given below:
1. Most of the students are not getting individual attention from the teachers who are
teaching English.
2. Some of these students cannot write even a single sentence in English while some others
reported that they can understand the meaning of English sentences, but they fail in
writing grammatically correct idiomatic sentences.
3. Some of the students reported that the English language is very boring to them since the
teachers of English often fail to explain the meaning of the sentences in translation
method.
4. Some of the residents in this hostel are from very poor family background and such poor
socio-familial conditions made them backward in their learning of English language.
5. Though the authorities have been trying their best to uplift the standards of these students
in learning English most of the students are not motivated in learning English language.
6. As an example of the psychological problems of the students, the warden responded that
from his experience, a number of the students in the hostel have inferiority complex and
are unwilling to mingle and to face other students residing in the same hostel.
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As a part of the investigation a visit was being arranged at Unnikrishnan Memorial SC
and ST Hostel near Mokkom, Calicut, managed by a local committee. In this hostel there are 171
students belonging to both SC and ST communities. Out of 171 students 46 students are
studying in the neighbouring Channamangallur and Mokkam High Schools and others in
colleges. Among the SC students, students from the sub castes like Kanakkas, Mannan and Velas
and among the ST students who belonged to Paniya, Kuruma and Cherumas have been staying in
this hostel. From the questionnaires supplied to the students and from the personal interview
arranged with the warden the following information were collected.
1. English language is the toughest subject for a number of students in the hostel.
2. Reading habit is very poor among the residents and even though there is reading room
attached to the hostel, the residents are not making proper use of it.
3. Though special coaching classes in English and Mathematics have been arranged in the
hostel most of the students are not motivated in attending those classes and are not
interested in learning the language.
4. The authorities had provided dictionaries to all the residents in the hostel. But many of
them sold them to their friends at a cheap rate and had collected their pocket money.
5. Many of the residents in this hostel, had reached there to get relief or as an asylum away
from drunken or cruel hearted parents.
6. Some parents had admitted their children in these hostels to avoid the responsibility of
looking after the children.
As a part of the collection of data many visits were arranged in the various scheduled
caste and tribe colonies situated in the various areas of Calicut district.
For the collection of enough details from these colonies the support and help from the
members of the following clubs, were received.
(a) Shilpi Kalavedi, Chittaripilakkal, Calicut
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(b) Athira Sports and Arts Club, Pazhur
(c) Priyadarshini Cultural Club, Parayarukottummal
(d) Eco Recreation Club, Nayarkuzhi, Calicut and
(e) Caste and Tribe Sahayavedi, Mavoor, Calicut.
Information were also collected from the parents and relatives of scheduled caste and
scheduled tribe students residing in various colonies.
Names of some of the colonies from where responses of the parents were collected are
given below.
1. Malikathadam Colony, Chathamangalam Panchayath.
2. Cheruthadam Colony, Munnoor
3. Mysore Mala Adivasi Colony, Anayamkunnu
4. Kushava Colony, Chakkadankunnu and Advuradu Colony
5. Sarkar Colony, Nellikkaparamba
6. Harijan Colony, Puthukkudi Kunnummal
7. Panarukandi Colony, Thamarassery and Kakkadampoyil colony
8. Sanketam colony, Vellalassery and Karassery tribal Colony
9. Poovar Mala Colony, Koduvally
10. Mutheri Harijan Colony, Mokkam
11. Mullankunnu Colony, Peruvannamuzhi, Perambra.
Besides the colonies indicated above, the investigator had many occasions to meet the
parents of similar types of students residing in various other colonies in and around Calicut.
Some of the brief opinions and suggestions received from the parents about the problems faced
by their children in learning English are given below.
1. English is a very difficult subject to most of the students.
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2. The students of these colonies are not getting any encouragement from the colonies or
from the surroundings to motivate them in learning English.
3. There are no tuition centres attached to their colonies to help them get extra coaching in
the difficult subjects like English.
4. The parents of most of these students are uneducated and hence ignorant about the
importance of education, especially about the importance of English. They are unable to
help their children in learning English.
5. Since there are some community halls attached to some of these colonies with public TV
sets, a number of the students in the colonies regularly spend their time in front of the TV
sets and hence keeping away from their studies.
6. Frequent quarrels and disputes in the colonies connected with drug addiction and similar
problems distract the students in the colonies and often affect their learning.
On the basis of the responses and similar data mentioned above collected from officials,
teachers, parents, authorities, students, social workers and well wishers residing and working in
the various places in and outside Kozhikode the following conclusions have been drawn.
1. The poor performance of SC and ST students in English in Kozhikode district indicate
that there is urgent need for adequate educational counseling at the high school level for
the SC and ST students.
2. The teachers of English are not paying special attention to SC and ST students during
their teaching of English.
3. English is not usually taught to SC and ST students by trained and competent teachers
with a special training to teach SC and ST students
4. The teachers of English are not motivating SC and ST students to learn English.
5. The teachers are not trying to identity the individual problems of the learners in learning
English.
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6. The teachers are not providing enough opportunities for SC and ST students to mingle
with students from other communities and hence to avoid their inferiority complex,
which is one of the major psychological problem affecting their studies.
7. Though there are coaching classes in English connected with their hostels, very often the
learners are not making effective use of them.
8. The home environment of the SC and ST students does not encourage the study of
English.
9. SC and ST students do not listen to radio and TV programmes in English.
10. The students feel inferior when they compare them with the students of other
communities. Feeling of inferiority encourages them to keep away from their studies.
11. When text books in English are prescribed the average student in English alone is kept in
mind and the teachers and authorities often ignore SC and ST students who are the
depressed and weaker sections of the society.
The atmosphere of English classes is very often sour, foul or stifling according to the
mood of the teacher. Most of the teachers of English are not interested in teaching. There is less
teacher taught relationship. If the teachers are active, energetic and enthusiastic the atmosphere
of the English class can make sweet or fragrant.
Some experts in the field of education agree with the view that “The aims and objectives
of education largely depend upon the effectiveness of the teachers.
Some of the notable problems collected from the responses of the students and relatives are
given below
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The Koragas, Kurumbas, Irulars, Paniyas and many others perform live sacrifices. They
arrange occasional functions and ceremonies in their families. For this purpose they
collect money from others and finally become victims of debt. Ceremonies like this
prevent their children from attending the classes regularly.
A number of students responded about their facilities in the hostels. Boarding grants,
special incentives to talented students and incentives to parents of Tribal students have
been offered by the government to motivate them to stay in the hostels. But the expected
result has not been received so far from the part of the students.
Many children remain in their houses to make free their parents to go out of home for
undertaking economically rewarding activities. At home as C.N. Shankar Rao says:
Children not only sweep, wash, collect water, fuel, fodder, mind younger siblings
and animals but also work in the fields and help their mothers in home-based piece
rate work they may be engaged in (Sociology of Indian Society 618).
The Kattunaikkans have some other names like Kadu, Jenu or Tenkurumans.
Cholanaikans is a sub group of Kattunaikkans. In olden days they used the back of trees
for clothing and had very little contact with non tribals. The majority of Kattunaikkans is
“king of jungle”. They use ornaments made of materials available in the forests and
speak a dialect of mixture of southern languages. Some of the students from these
families suggested that understanding English would be easier for them if the teachers
would be ready to teach English through translation into their tribal languages.
Sri Velayudhan and Sujatha social workers who are interested in the development of
scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students helped the investigator for a visit and to collect the
opinions from the students and parents living in Nedunkayam, Mundukadavu and Vaniyampuzha
colonies in Wynad. The details collected from them are given below.
Many families in this area belong to Kattunaikkan the primitive tribal group in northern
Kerala. This tribe has some other names like “Kadu Kurumba and Jenu Kurumba”. As per the
2001 census the population of this tribe is 12155 consisting of 6271 males and 5884 females.
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The Kattunaikkans are sub tribes under scheduled tribe. Though they are distributed in
Wynad, Malappuram and in the remote areas of Kozhikode, nearly 85 per cent of them live in
Wynad. The investigator met 26 families belong to Kattunaikkan from the colonies mentioned
above. There were 26 students (16 girls and 10 boys) studying in various high schools in Wynad
from these colonies. Most of them very often absent themselves from their classes due to various
reasons. Among the families in these colonies only a few families had made use of the financial
support of the tribal development scheme and had started rearing domestic animals and
cultivating vegetables in the nearby lands. As a part of the interview it was understood that the
students from these colonies had no facilities to learn and to arrange any kind of remedial
measures for improving their students in subjects like Mathematics and English. The houses
constructed for them are of low quality without considering their need based and ecological
conditions. There is an Ashram school functioning at Noolpuzha for students from Kattunaikkan
families but the parents remain apathetic in sending their children to school. Some of the students
in this colony had T.B. and suffer from Malnutrition, scabies and fungal inspection. Health care
facilities are totally absent in Cholanaikka habitats. In the studies conducted by G.S. Ghurye
“Kattunaikkans are aboriginals in the state and they are the progeny of padmakya, who was the
son of a Hegade chief and a rakshasi wife. The rakshasi was the daughter of Hidimba and
Saumalini” (Castes and Class in India 136).
According to V.S.Ketkar “It is believed that Kattunaikkans are the modern
representatives of primitive Kurumbas or Pallavas, who dominated south India till they were
finally defeated by the Chola King in 7th century. There after they were forced to live in the
forests” (History of Castes in India 237). The Kattunaikka students who are tall and dark with
curly hair prefer the education in model residential and ashram schools. They show high aptitude
towards modern education and are interested in learning English. But the lack of motivation and
shortage of facilities prevent them from learning English with proper interest.
In many of their houses, the parents are drug addicts. They use alcohol regularly that
causes family quarrels and this prevents their children from getting concentration in their
studies.
There is the shortage of coaching classes and tuition centres in their colonies for
encouraging them to learn English.
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Many of their houses are made of bamboo, straw and grass. Many of them depend on
roots, herbs and honey for their daily life. A good number of Kattunaikkans are doing the
job of forest watchers under the forest department. Aptitude to cultivation is a recent
development among them. So many of the parents encourage their children to do jobs
connected with the forest and agriculture and prevent them from going to their schools
and colleges.
A good number of Kattunaikkans are superstitious. They worship trees, rocks, hills and
snakes. They believe in mantras and magic and have regular contact with the Hindu gods.
They worship sun and moon. On festival days children keep away from school
continuously.
Interviews were arranged with the Director, Kirtads, Chevayur, Calicut on 5th September
2009 and with the section clerk on 6th September 2010 from the research wing connected
with the tribal education. A brief details collected from them regarding the problems of
scheduled tribes in learning subjects like English are given below:
In Kerala there are 36 tribal communities. As per the Census Report (2001) the total tribal
population in Kerala is 320,967. The Paniya tribe is the biggest tribe among the tribal
communities. Paniya community has a total population of 67,948 with 33,273 males and
34675 females. It is believed that 21.17% among the Adivasis in Kerala are Paniyas and
97.1% of the Paniyas are living in village areas. The Paniyas in Wynad are the settled
group who have come from Ippimala, an interior place near Meppadi in Wythiri Taluk.
According to K. Ellan, President, Kerala Paniya Samajam, majority of Paniya families
are in half starvation. In Wynad a good number of Paniyas are still living like ‘Kudiyans’ (landed
gentry) under the control of ‘janmis’ (serfs) as it was the condition in the olden days. In the
books Dravidian Tribals (68) published by Thiruvananthapuram International School of
Dravidian linguistics it is remarked that “the Paniyan reached Wynad from Ippimala, the hilly
areas near Banasura”. According to William Logan in his book Malabar Manuel (586) “The
Adivasis in Kerala including Paniya reached here from Sansibar in Africa. In olden days these
people were the slaves of traders like the “moors” in their ships. When their ships wrecked they
reached land and later settled in the forest areas in Wynad. As per the descriptions in the Malabar
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Manuel (570) given by Logan “colonism and oppression of the janmis’ had started in the
beginning of the 5th century and later a lot of Adivasis in Kerala were compelled to lead their
lives as slaves in the hilly areas.”
Students from Paniya families pay attention to functions and ceremonies. Most often
keeping away from their schools and ignoring their studies. A “Mooppan” (Leader) from
Kunchom Ambedkar Colony near Mananthavady reported that every year the Paniya families
near Mananthavady celebrate their grand festival of Valliyoorkav Bagavathi temple. They
consider it as the “grand festival of the Paniya tribe. During these days they refuse to send their
children to the school and for many days such students keep away from their studies.
The details collected from Mr.Vellan (68 years) and his wife Vellachi (58) residents in
Kuppadikunnu colony:
Starvation is the major problem that prevent the parents from sending their children to
schools. In olden days the Paniyas were free in the forest areas and lived happily collecting the
fruits, roots and honey for their livelihood. At present the forest is under the control of the Forest
Department and very often the tribals become the victims of exploitation of the officials from the
departments.
Mr. Balaram, Secretary, Paniyar Samajam said that the formation of the Samajam was in
1975 and since then it had been conducting a number of programmes and complementing
schemes for the socio-psychological and educational development of the Paniya community. It
has been arranging tutorial and tuition classes for the high school and college students in Wynad
district especially in subjects like English and Mathematics.
“Sarva Siksha Abhayan” (SSA) has started single teacher school in tribal areas. Though
the government expect a better development of the community due to the shortage of trained
teachers for teaching English, students from Paniya families are still backward in subjects like
English and Mathematics.
The cases connected with the arrest of Muthanga in Wynad due to the strike headed by
Mrs. Janu (Gothra Mahasabha) reveal that majority of the members participated were from
Paniya tribes. Victims of this strike are still living in the colonies at Muthanchira,
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Nenmenikunnu, Koyilippara, and Thelempetta near Muthanga. There are students in these
colonies who are studying in high school classes. But starvation, due to the price hike compel
them to seek jobs other than cultivation and very often students drop out from their classes or
fails in their examinations.
Many teachers of English teaching the scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students in the
high schools and colleges and many parents of such students complained that their children no
longer read textbooks or any other books from their homes. It is a fact that today the reading
habit is dead and today’s children are tempted by various other distractions like the T.V.
channels, computer games and DVD players. They have neither the inclination nor the time of
read. According to Christine Nuttal, “they can’t read because they don’t read; and they don’t
read because they can’t read” (The Journal of English Language Teaching (India), Vol. XLV,
August 2007). For motivating the students the teachers of English can display good books within
the students’ reach – in the class room as class library or on the bookshelf in the drawing room.
The child will feel like touching the books, opening them, looking at them out of sheer curiosity.
For motivating them the teacher can read aloud the stories to children as an activity. Make this
reading interactive or turn the story into a drama. While reading the teacher can stop in the
middle and ask children to guess what happened next. This will encourage the students who are
shy or poor to participate in the discussion and later in motivating them in the learning of
English.
Some students expressed their opinions that a number of teachers of English go straight
to the textbook of the beginning of a lesson without spending few minutes chatting to the class
about topics of interest. The teacher can talk and ask some questions connected with their daily
life or home situations. This would be a good technique for motivating low level students
especially students from scheduled caste and scheduled tribe families. Chatting with students in
English creates an opportunity for real language practice and creates an “English language”
atmosphere in the class. Regular practice of chatting with the students establishes contact with
the class and helps students feel relaxed and ready to learn.
The teachers of English should simplify the English they use in the classroom if there are
scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students. It should suit to the comprehension level of the
students and stick to everybody in the classroom.
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A number of scheduled cast and scheduled tribe students expressed their opinions that
many teachers of English do not use blackboards during their teaching of English. They
suggested that using simple, short sentences and gestures to show each of the actions and using
blackboards, to a great extent will be useful for the easy understanding of English. Minimum
one training institute for training the teachers for the scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students
may be started in every state and there should be provisions to get them trained in tribal
languages.
The syllabus of the B.Ed. and T.T.C. courses should include topics on special education
of the scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students.
Teachers of the scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students should be given comparable
scales of pay plus special allowances for encouraging them to come forward to teach those
students who are backward in subjects like English.
For the education of the scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students more separate and
special schools should be arranged and the curriculum for them adopted to meet their needs for
learning languages like English, Home Science and other relevant subjects.
No scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students should be denied admission in any
school merely on grounds of disability.
Educational opportunities for the scheduled caste and scheduled tribe children should be
expanded to fulfill the goal of universalisation of education.
Along with special schools and integrated schools, there should be schools for non-
formal education – special curriculum should be adopted to meet their needs for learning English
and other relevant subjects.
Syllabus of the special schools for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes may be revised
suitably giving the importance to English along with physical education sports and games, crafts,
martial arts and mobility along with orientations.
According to the tribal welfare officer in charge of the coaching classes in Kynatti near
Kalpetta, Wynad and the Headmaster Kaniyampetta High School, Wynad, in most of the high
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schools in Wynad area where there are a number of tribal and backward students, there is the
shortage of competent teachers for teaching English. In Wynad the condition of English language
teaching is pitiable. Non English hands are given to teach English simply because a number of
posts of English teachers still remain unappointed. This is very unsatisfactory and results in
ineffective learning of the English language.
Some additional notable problems are given below-
Lack of sympathetic attitude on the part of the teachers
Lack of confidence in learning English
Lack of motivation from parents, teachers and social workers
Occasional disturbance from their neighbouring colonies
No separate study rooms in their houses
Lack of facilities both in the house or at the schools and colleges.
A number of students face problems in learning English due to non-intellectual home
atmosphere.
Majority of the parents of the students are rural based. They are illiterate and face
financial difficulties.
The children of agricultural labourers drop out from the schools and colleges due to
seasonal work.
Lack of interest in attending classes due to discrimination from classmates.
Lack of individual attention from the teachers.
Lack of proper guidance from the family or from the society in learning English.
various opinions were expressed by a numbers of teachers of English regarding the
problems of scheduled caste and scheduled tribes in learning English as given below are:
1.When compared to other students the students from scheduled caste and scheduled tribe
families get less assistance from their parents. Private tutors are employed by the parents of
upper class and rich families to provide academic help to their children outside the classroom.
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This is an essential remedial measure in the case of those who are not able to cope with their
studies in subjects like English. Scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students studying in high
school classes rarely get facilities like this due to financial and family problems.
2. Reading habits other than class books are very poor in students from scheduled caste and
scheduled tribe families. Regular reading of newspapers, periodicals, fiction, biographies and
similar books contributes to the general intellectual development of students. The importance
of collateral reading has been widely recognized and children’s interest in this greatly
depends upon parent’s initiative in supplying the necessary reading materials to them. The
intellectual atmosphere at home can be created by regular reading habits. But students from
scheduled caste and scheduled tribe families rarely get chances like this and hence fail to
improve their standard in English language.
3. The impact of parent’s occupational position on children’s educational achievement was also
highlighted by some of the headmasters. Problems of lower class children have been
identified in terms of the parent’s low occupational position which lead to lower incomes and
this is likely to have a great deal of impact on the academic performance of their children.
According to the headmasters children of parents in high status occupations score good
marks in subjects like English when compared to children of unskilled workers and self
employed people.
4. Regarding the parent’s income and children’s educational achievement the headmasters
expressed their opinions that poverty can make a parent less willing to keep a child at school;
can make it difficult for him to afford books and toys or additional help to solve the problems
in learning difficult subjects like English. Students from high income families enjoy many
advantages. Parent’s education and professional success creates high self-confidence in
students. Majority of the students from scheduled caste and scheduled tribe families face
problems in learning due to lack of confidence and motivation from the parents.
Since English language learning is very difficult to learn for a number of students,
enough special coaching centres near their colonies and houses should be arranged.
The number of S.C. and S.T. promoters to guide and motivate the students is very few.
English promoters and counsellors should be appointed.
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Attached to a number of colonies there are toddy and wine shops. Occasional quarrels
create problems and affect their studies.
Night classes and tutorial classes in learning English will be useful to an extent and there
should be local teachers who are fluent in tribal languages when they teach English.
Awareness classes to motivate the parents should be arranged so that parents will
encourage the students for learning.
A number of students face inferiority complex and are not ready to mingle with the
classmates. Counselling of the teachers will be useful as a remedy.
Provisions against poverty and privations should be arranged.
Lack of social mobility and problem of inter cultural communication are major retarding
factors.
Communication barrier between the teacher and taught since both of them belong to
different cultures.
Most of the teachers of English (other teachers also) who get appointment in tribal area
schools are disinterested. They leave the place due to lack of proper residential facilities
and communication facility.
Lack of sincerity on the part of officials who are in charge of the implementation of
welfare schemes for SC and ST students.
Shortage of textbooks, pocket money, dress and similar facilities.
Special text books of English with the study aids in tribal languages will be useful.
There should be facilities for better communication, sanitary programmes and provisions
for better study materials.
Teachers of English should be more friendly and frank, should understand the problems
of the students in reading, writing and speaking.
Enough audiovisual aids should be used during teaching English.
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Main reasons of dropping out of students are poverty, domestic matters, family quarrels,
alienation and such other problems.
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Chapter V
CONCLUSION
The word ‘conclusion’ is from ‘conclude’ which means ‘arrive at a belief, opinion or
decision after the analysis of the facts or evidences that have been collected from various
evidences. The major findings that are noted below have been collected after the analysis of
various responses and sources like the opinions of scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students
at the under graduate classes, their parents, teachers, officials, well wishers and social workers
and similar persons who are directly or indirectly cooperated and participated to make this
attempt a grand success.
General Opinions and Suggestions
The word ‘Schedule’ refers to a ‘list’ or ‘table’. The Government of India Act 1935 enlisted
or scheduled a few of the castes or tribes in the country as the most inferior people who need
some special attention. Later, when India became independent, this term was adopted by the
constitution for the purpose of providing them some special facilities and constitutional
guarantees.
The bulk of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes includes all those people subject to
some disabilities in major fields of life – social, religious, educational, psychological,
economic or political.
Majority of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe population is in rural areas and about
80 per cent of them depend on agriculture. They constitute about one third of the total
number of agricultural workers in the country. Many of them do not own any land and their
literary level is extremely low. The people who belong to these communities virtually live as
agricultural labourers, tenants and marginal farmers. Some of them are enguaged in jobs like
sweeping, and scavenging. Among them there are a good number of leather workers,
weavers, toddy-tapers, fishermen, basket or rope makers, fruit and vegetable sellers, shoe-
makers, liquor manufacturers, drummers, iron-smiths, and coolies.
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Generally many a number of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe people are not free from
diseases. The main reason for this is inadequate sanitation facilities. They get poor drinking
water (from pipe lines, rivers and streams) and suffer certain deficiency of minerals and other
elements in food.
A number of people from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are drug addicts. They
depend on ordinary liquor or similar alcoholic drinks to get a relief from their domestic
problems. Chewing pans is a common habit in these families.
The government has adopted many projects for the development of scheduled caste and
scheduled tribe families. But the total benefit of these projects never reach in their families.
They suffer exploitation and oppression from the upper class and similar authorities in the
state.
Irregular wage problem most often prevent them from the habit of saving. They consume
whatsoever they get daily. Exploitation, superstition and lack of education, are some of the
major problems that prevent them from economic and cultural development. As a solution
for this Dr.S.Radhakrishnan, the philosopher and former President of India, once remarked
that “we must approach the tribal people with affection and friendly and not with contempt
and hatred.”
Since independence various attempts have been made by the government to uplift these
communities by rectifying the evils of caste system. A number of economic and social
reforms had implemented by the government but still the depressed classes had occupy the
bottommost position of the social ladder.
The literacy rate and educational status of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students in
Kerala is very poor and the poor performance of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe
students studying in the under graduate classes in these districts of north Kerala indicates
that there is urgent need for adequate educational counselling at the school and college level.
These steps would enable them to get an objective self-image in terms of their strengths and
limitations, their interests, aptitudes and skills and later help to make the right choice of skill
and course.
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The analysis of the available data shows that in the national level 8.08% of the total
population are tribals. Among the states the largest number of tribes are in Madhya Pradesh.
The tribal literacy rate is 29.60% at national level against the general literacy rate of 52.21%.
There is a wide disparity seen in racial languages and socio-economic and cultural patterns of
tribals.
According to the analysis, in Kerala there are 36 tribal communities which makes out 2% of
the state population. Out of this 35.82% of tribal population is in Wynad. Alappuzha has the
least tribal population. The tribal literacy rate in Kerala constitutes the highest in all the states
and that comes to about 57.20% against the general literacy rate of 52.20%.
Absence of land holdings, low literacy rate, low standard of living, poor medical facilities
and shortage of motorable roads are some of the serious problems faced by the tribals of our
state.
A great number of tribals live in houses that are granted to them by the Government. These
houses have only limited facilities compared to that of non tribals. Lack of separate
bathrooms, electricity, latrine, drinking water and graveyards, are also some of the problems
faced by the tribal communities.
The people have only minimum possession of domestic materials required for a good life.
Most of them are plantation workers who get seasonal work and mainly depend on wage
labour for their livelihood. Major source of their income is from agriculture.
The opinion expressed by parents, psychologists, teachers and officials and suggested
solutions are given below:
The difficulties in the acquisition English experienced by these students are related to
language skills, viz. speaking, writing, reading and listening.
The problems of these students are more cultural or social than psychological or linguistic.
These students never get the expected encouragement and motivation neither from the home
environment nor from the society.
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Because of the lack of individual attention from the side of the teachers who are teaching
English, students from these families ignore the Learning of English.
Facility for learning English is not available in rural areas, especially in hilly and forest areas,
where there are a number of colonies of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes when
compared to those who live in urban areas. Urban students get ample opportunities for
supplementing their knowledge obtained from the classrooms by utilizing libraries, and
reading rooms. They get enough chances to participate in various cultural and educational
programmes.
Students from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe families, who belong to the first
generation learner group in the family, are deprived of parental support since they are
illiterate.
Favourable situations that prevail in the locality where the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled
Tribe students live is a major factor connected with their motivation in learning English.
Majority of the college students who come from scheduled caste and scheduled tribe families
do not attend classes regularly for some reason or other.
The numbers of dropouts from the schools and colleges are increasing every year. Informal
educational programmes may be arranged for such dropouts so that they may join the main
stream of education. Along with the formal education there should be provisions for teaching
a vocational (trade) to the students from scheduled caste and scheduled tribe families.
Arrangements like this may help to control poverty and hence to motivate the students in the
acquisition of the language skill.
Most of the students from scheduled caste and scheduled tribe families, studying in the
schools and colleges in north Kerala never get enough access to the learning of English.
Enough facilities should be arranged in the high schools, especially where there are more
students from such families, for getting an access to the acquisition of English.
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Teacher-taught relationship should be more friendly. Fatherly attitude without expressing any
discrimination towards backward students will help them to reveal their problems and hence
to find solutions connected with their learning of English.
Teachers of English in schools and colleges in north Kerala, where there are scheduled cast
and scheduled tribe students, should pay individual attention to such students who face
problems in learning English.
Collecting occasional feed back fro the students after teaching English will be useful for the
teachers to understand the problems of the students in learning English. After identifying the
problems, the teachers may arrange suitable remedial measures for improving their skill in
the acquisition of English language.
Awareness classes about the value of education and especially about the need for learning
English will be useful to the parents and teachers
The content of the English textbooks are not related to local situations.
These students are not getting enough encouragements or motivations neither from the
society nor from the family.
When the textbooks in English are prescribed the average student alone is considered and the
teachers are also directed to the average students in the classrooms without paying enough
attention to the below average students.
Usually English is not taught to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students by trained
teachers with special training to teach them.
The teachers are not motivating and encouraging the students to speak English and to write
to make their handwriting legible.
Enough special coaching, bridge and guidance classes in English are not given in schools and
colleges for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students.
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The teachers are not providing enough opportunities for them to mingle with other students
from forward communities and thus to make them confident without a feeling of inferiority
complex.
These students do not get enough facilities to listen to radio or TV programmes in English
that may be helpful to improve their standard in English language.
Many students from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe families are unable to adjust to the
values of education because of non-familial reasons.
Due to the burden of domestic chores, they never get sufficient time for study without
enough support and facilities.
Attitude of the parents or parental support is a major factor connected with the motivation of
the students and most often they never get such affection and care from the parents.
The family size, the responses from the neighbours and support from the society will be
helpful in their total achievement.
Education may help to abolish discrimination, to change their way of life and later to achieve
a good status in society.
Drop out or withdrawal from the classes before the completion of the course is a serious
problem to be dealt with. Drop out is a ‘wastage’ and students of rural areas have higher rate
of dropouts. Poverty and domestic matters are some of the major causes responsible for the
dropping out of the young students.
Teachers of English should be facilitator, a guide or a guardian.They should try to get contact
with Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students. This contact may later encourage the
students to reveal their individual socio-psychological or linguistic problems.
Since the content of the English textbooks are above the standard of many Scheduled Caste
and Scheduled Tribe students, they fail to adjust with the vocabulary, usages, grammar and
similar content matters in the prescribed text books.
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Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students are no longer homogenous communities and
there are perceptible differences among them with respect to class, status, power and parental
attitude towards education. The educational performance of these students varies with the
variable like child-rearing practices, maternal care, domination of traditional values and other
similar types of factors.
Emotional reactions and behaviour of the students inside the classroom are best examples to
understand the lack of interest of the students. Emotional reactions like sleeping in the class,
reading other’s books, restlessness, blank stare and whispering aside are some of the
emotional reactions expressed by the learners to understand their lack of interest in learning.
A number of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students are ‘late starters’. They fail to
join the school at the expected age (5 years) due to familial problems.
The teacher should be aware of the socio-familial background of the learners. He should
create relationship with the students. Healthy teacher-taught relationship will help to
motivate the learners.
Some of the opinions expressed by the counsellors and suggested remedial measures are:
A number of students suffer for a feeling of discrimination in their classes. They believe that
other students are superior to them. Because of such a feeling students from these families
are unwilling to mingle with others and feel separation and solitude in the classrooms.
The lack of motivation prevents a number of students from attending English classes. They
pretend as if they listen but most often kill their time without proper attention.
Some students feel irritation in the classroom and never participate in the classes. They fail to
adjust with the classroom atmosphere. Through the collection of feedback their lack of
interest can be identified (Encyclopedia of Techniques of Teaching 221-222).
Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Extension Officers should appoint promoters to
motivate the students from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe and to identify their
problems in learning English. They also do grant tutorial fee for the failed students and
should appoint counsellors to encourage such students.
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Information collected from the Extension Officers are noted below:
As a scheme under the educational advancement of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe
students pre-matric and post-matric hostels have been started in every district. But the
number of the residents is very few in those hostels. Most of the parents are unwilling to send
the children to the hostels. The hostels provide accommodation, books, dress, financial
assistance and other eligible assistance to the students. Readmission is also allowed in the
hostels, and there are facilities to use library, reading room, radio, TV and to participate in
sports and games but students are not utilizing these facilities due to the lack of awareness.
Lack of good clothing, shelter, medical facilities, stationary and cost of education compel the
students to give up their studies.
Excessive involvement of the children in domestic works is another major hindrance in
learning. Some students have to look after their young brothers or sisters in their families in
the absence of the parents or adult members. This is to facilitate the adults or parents to go
out for work.
A great number of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students are under the clutches of
social deprivation like poverty, misery, low social status and social segregation, there should
provisions for educational concessions and to issue lumpsum grants for their books, dress and
pocket money.
Along with the hostels for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes there are subsidized hostels
run by non-governmental organisations and approved by the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled
Tribe Development Department. The inmates are paid boarding grant and 2 pairs of dress by
the government.
There are provisions in the hostels for tuition classes in difficult subjects like Mathematics
and English for students studying in schools and college classes. Though teachers are
appointed, a great number of them are untrained and unsuitable to teach Scheduled Caste
and Scheduled Tribe students. Teachers who get appointment to teach them should be
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trained and experienced and should have an understanding of the problems of these students
along with a background knowledge of tribal languages.
The students belonging to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe families are socially,
educationally and economically backward. Their parents are unaware of the importance of
education. They are not motivated to send their children to schools. Counselling and
awareness classes should be arranged not only students but to their parents also for a better
result.
Students who have domestic problems sometimes keep away from their studies. They should
be encouraged to remain in their hostels and this will help them to attend the classes
forgetting their familial problems.
In areas where there are enough tribal families more Ashramam schools and colleges with
enough facilities for motivating the students should be opened.
Providing enough facilities in the houses and in educational institutions, with foundation
courses in the weaker subjects will be helpful to the disadvantaged students.
Suitable educational techniques with audio visual aids may be helpful for motivating the
students who are not interested in learning English.
The parents of majority of scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students are illiterate.
Unemployment and poverty prevent them from sending their children regularly to the
schools and colleges. Social service organizations and similar agencies in the field and
welfare of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes should come forward for motivating the
parents to encourage their children for attending the classes regularly.
A number of students from scheduled caste and scheduled tribe families expressed their
views that the content of the textbooks of English are above their standards and they have
problems to understand the content. During the preparation of the English textbooks as far as
possible the contents should be chosen as to suit the intellectual level of the students.
Some remedial measures for these problems are given below:
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Well trained promoters and extension officers who are interested in the welfare and
education of the scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students should be appointed in the
schools and colleges in the districts of north Kerala.
Departments for the development of scheduled castes and tribes should be ready for
arranging guidance to the newly appointed promoters and officers for understanding the
socio cultural and familial problems of SC and ST students connected with their education
and especially in learning English.
Lack of competent teachers in English in schools and colleges for teaching scheduled castes
and scheduled tribes is a serious problem in the northern districts of Kerala. A number of
teachers have not even a basic degree in English. They are ignorant of the tribal language and
the existing customs in tribal areas. Providing enough in-service and orientation classes to
such teachers will be helpful for them for a better teaching of SC and ST students in the
school and college classes. Faulty method of teaching is one of the major problems that affect
in learning English language.
A survey can be conducted by teachers of English in these districts for identifying the socio-
familial backgrounds of the students. This survey may help them to understand more about
the learners and later to bring about a healthy teacher-taught relationship.
As a part of this study it could identify that the following special measures may be helpful as
remedies to uplift Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students from their socio-familial
problems.
Assisting these communities in obtaining the possession of lands belonging to allotted to
them.
Helping the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe agricultural labourers in getting statutory
minimum wages.
Appointing the state-level committees to look into the various aspects concerning the welfare
of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe families.
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Establishing special cells to ensure that crimes against them are properly registered,
investigated and quickly prosecuted.
To ensure quick disposal of cases pertaining to these communities.
Free coaching and Training for various examinations, free distribution of books, stationary,
uniforms, scholarships, banking loan facilities, providing mid-day meals and similar concrete
steps.
In addition to this there should be additional provisions for building hostels and special
schools in tribal areas and for the allocation of funds for books, scholarships, dress and
similar facilities. There should be enough drinking water facility, medical support, liberation
of bonded labourers, getting seeds and agricultural implements, fertilizers, pesticides,
interest-free loans, a pair of bullocks for ploughing, schemes for developing dairy farming,
poultry farming, piggery, animal husbandry, spinning, handicrafts, toy making, basket
making, beedi rolling, tailoring and similar types of self employment schemes.
In addition to the government aids and schemes, enough supports should be given by
voluntary organisations, social workers and well wishers for the development of these
weaker sections of the society.
Teachers who are getting appointments in the rural areas where there are tribals schools or
hostels for SC and ST students, often leave the place by requesting transfer. The shortage of
accommodation, electricity, motorable roads and similar reasons compel these teachers to
leave the places soon after getting their appointments. Providing accommodations, food and
similar facilities will be helpful for retaining such newly appointed teachers in the tribal
areas.
Teachers in these areas neither know tribal languages nor the culture and habits of the
Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe families. There should be provisions for guiding and
counselling the teachers with enough support for understanding the tribal language.
The allocation and utilization of the funds for the development of Scheduled Caste and
Scheduled Tribe families should be reached in the deserving hands and communities and
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there should be provisions to understand exploitations and to provide serious punishments if
they didn’t reach there.
It is unfortunate that in spite of 65 years of consistent efforts to elevate the position of the
Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe families the expected success has not been achieved so far.
Educationally, socially, economically, politically and psychologically the state of Scheduled
Caste and Scheduled Tribe families has neither changed nor improved. Still they remains below
the poverty line and their occupational mobility does not lead them to social mobility.
Educationally they are very backward, politically they are not organized and remain weak in the
bottom most level of the society.
They are still tradition bound with a sense of inferiority complex and these issues hinder
them from the ‘push’ to development. The younger generations among them are in the schools
and colleges.
Necessary steps mentioned above are to be taken to improve the socio economic status of
Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students. Their improvement will be possible only through
educational progress. The educational progress can be attained only through the understanding of
the English language, which is the ‘lingua franca’ and a language with a topmost position in the
curriculum. Hence it is hoped that the remedial measures suggested above in this study with an
aim of improving the educational standards of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students
will be helpful to the experts who are engaged in the education of Scheduled Caste and
Scheduled Tribe students, the teachers, the parents, the educational administrators and to the text
book writers on the one hand and also to the members of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled
Tribe population who need plenty of guidance and help in English language learning. It is also
hoped that research studies like this will be conducted in similar subjects and the findings and
recommendations of such studies will be helpful to the authorities and the government to pay
their attention in this regard and to do some urgent measures for the development of these
depressed and under privileged classes. This study helped not only to identify the socio
psychological and linguistic problems but to investigate the familial, economic and academic
problems of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students in the under graduate classes in
malappuram and kozhikkode districts of north Kerala in learning English.
93
The present study has been made only at the under graduate level. It can be extended to
primary and higher secondary level as well for better and fruitful results. It can be also applied in
other districts in Kerala state. More studies may be encouraged in bringing out innovative ideas
in this area.
94
Table 1
Literacy Rates of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
Category 1971 1981 1991 % of increase
General Population
including SC/ST 29.45 36.23 52.21 77.28
S.T. 11.30 16.30 29.60 161.95
Gaps between the General
and STs 18.15 19.88 22.61 24.57
Source: Economic Review 2001.
Table 2
ST Students in Kerala (in %)
Category Total students (Nos.) ST Students (Nos.)
L.P. School 19,32,326 28,302
U.P. School 17,05,002 17,631
High School 16,11,719 13,813
Total 52,49,047 57,836
Source: Economic Review 2001.
95
Table 3
Proportion of literate persons in population, Kerala and India during the census periods
1981 to 2001
Year Persons Males Females
Kerala India Kerala India Kerala India
1981 81.6 43.6 87.7 56.4 75.7 29.8
1991 89.8 52.2 93.6 64.1 86.1 39.3
2001 90.9 65.2 94.2 75.6 87.9 54.0
Source: Human Development Report 2005, Kerala.
Table 4
Population of States/Union Territories by Sex and Percentage Share of Population in Total
Population - 2001
Sl.
No
.
India/State/
Union Territory
Total Population Percentage
share in
total
population
Population
density
(per
sq.km.)
Persons Male Females
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
INDIA 1027015247 531277078 495738169 100 324
1 Andaman &
Nocobar Islands 356,265 192,985 163,280
0.03 43
2 Andhra Pradesh 75,727,541 38,286,811 37,440,730 7.37 275
96
3 Arunachal
Pradesh 1,091,117 573,951 517,166
0.11 13
4 Assam 26,638,407 13,787,799 12,850,608 2.59 340
5 Bihar 82,878,796 43,153,964 39,724,832 8.07 880
6 Chandigarh 900,914 508,224 392,690 0.09 7903
7 Chatisgarh 20,795,956 10,452,426 10,343,530 2.03 154
8 Dadra & Nagar
Haveli 220,451 121,731 98,720
0.02 449
9 Daman & Diu 158,059 92,478 65,581 0.02 1411
10 Delhi 13,782,976 7,570,890 6,212,086 1.34 9294
11 Goa 1,343,998 685,617 658,381 0.13 363
12 Gujarat 50,596,992 26,344,053 24,252,939 4.93 258
13 Haryana 21,082,989 11,327,658 9,755,331 2.05 477
14 Himachal
Pradesh 6,077,248 3,085,256 2,991,992
0.59 109
15 Jammu and
Kashmir 10,069,917 5,300,574 4,769,343
0.98 99
16 Jharkhand 26,909,428 13,861,277 13,048,151 2.62 338
17 Karnataka 52,733,958 26,856,343 25,877,615 5.14 275
18 Kerala 31,838,619 15,468,664 16,369,955 3.10 819
19 Lakshadweep 60,595 31,118 29,477 0.01 1894
20 Madhyapradesh 60,385,118 31,456,873 28,928,245 5.88 196
21 Maharashtra 96,752,247 50,334,270 46,417,977 9.42 314
22 Manipur 2,388,634 1,207,338 1,181,296 0.23 107
23 Meghalaya 2,306,069 1,167,840 1,138,229 0.22 103
97
24 Mizoram 891,058 456,783 431,275 0.09 42
25 Nagaland 1,988,636 1,041,686 946,950 0.19 120
26 Orissa 36,706,920 18,612,340 18,094,580 3.57 236
27 Pondicherry 973,829 486,705 487,124 0.09 2029
28 Punjab 24,289,296 12,963,362 11,325,934 2.37 482
29 Rajasthan 56,473,122 29,381,657 27,091,465 5.50 165
30 Sikkim 540,493 288,217 252,276 0.05 76
31 Tamilnadu 62,110,839 31,268,654 30,842,185 6.05 478
32 Tripura 3,191,168 1,636,138 1,555,030 0.31 304
33 Uttar Pradesh 1,66,052,859 87,466,301 78,586,558 16.17 689
34 Uttaranchal 8,479,562 4,316,401 4,163,161 0.83 159
35 West Bengal 80,221,171 41,487,694 38,733,477 7.81 904
Table 5
District wise Population, Decadal Growth Rate, Sex-ratio and Population Density
Sl.
No
.
State/District
Population 2001
Percentage
decadal
growth rate
Sex ratio
(No.of
females
per 1000
males)
Population
density
per sq.km
Persons Males Females 1981
-91
1991
-01
199
1
200
1
199
1
200
1
Kerala 318386
19
154686
64
163679
55
14.3
2 9.42
103
6
105
8 749 819
1 Kasaragod 120334
2 587763 615579
22.7
8
12.3
0
102
6
104
7 538 604
98
2 Kannur 241236
5
115414
4
125822
1
16.6
3 7.13
104
9
109
0 759 813
3 Wayanad 786627 393397 393230 21.3
2
17.0
4 966
100
0 315 369
4 Kozhikode 287849
8
139867
4
147982
4
16.6
9 9.87
102
7
105
8
111
8
122
8
5 Malappuram 362964
0
175947
9
187010
1
28.8
7
17.2
2
105
3
106
3 872
102
2
6 Palakkad 261707
2
126579
4
135127
8
16.5
2 9.86
106
1
106
8 532 584
7 Trichur 297544
0
142204
7
155339
3
12.2
0 8.70
108
5
109
2 903 981
8 Ernakulam 309837
8
153588
1
156249
7
11.4
2 9.09
100
0
101
7 963
105
0
9 Idukki 112860
5 566405 562200
10.4
5 6.96 975 999 236 252
10 Kottayam 195290
1 964433 988468 7.71 6.76
100
3
102
5 828 884
11 Alappuzha 210534
9
101257
2
109277
7 7.28 5.21
105
1
107
9
141
5
148
9
12 Pathanamthitta 123157
7 588035 643542 5.60 3.72
106
2
109
4 450 467
13 Kollam 258411
8
124861
6
133550
2
10.6
8 7.33
103
5
107
0 967
103
8
14 Thiruvananthapur
am
323470
7
157142
4
166328
3
13.5
0 9.78
103
6
105
8
134
4
147
6
99
Table 6
Age Group Population of Kerala 2001
Sl.
No.
Age
Group
Population (in lakhs) Percentage All India
Percentage
Total Male Female Tota Male Female Total
1 0-4 27.65 14.09 13.56 8.7 9.1 8.3 12.2
2 5-9 25.44 12.96 12.49 8.0 8.4 7.6 13.3
3 10-14 29.87 15.24 14.63 9.4 0.9 8.9 11.8
4 15-19 29.85 14.85 14.99 9.4 9.6 9.2 9.4
5 20-24 29.84 14.40 15.44 9.4 9.3 9.4 8.9
6 25-29 27.86 12.97 14.89 8.7 8.4 9.1 9.3
7 30-34 25.16 11.86 13.31 7.9 7.7 8.1 7.0
8 35-39 24.66 11.55 13.12 7.7 7.5 8.0 6.2
9 40-44 19.51 9.60 9.90 6.1 6.2 6.0 5.1
10 45-49 19.26 9.52 9.74 6.1 6.1 5.9 4.3
11 50-54 14.38 7.25 7.13 4.5 4.7 4.4 3.7
12 55-59 11.30 5.42 5.80 3.6 3.5 3.6 2.7
13 60-64 10.32 4.8 5.52 3.2 3.1 3.4 2.6
14 65-69 9.02 3.99 5.02 2.8 2.6 3.1 1.5
15 70-74 6.13 2.73 3.40 1.9 1.7 2.1 1.3
100
16 75-79 3.99 1.74 2.26 1.3 1.1 1.4 0.5
17 80+ 3.89 1.57 2.32 1.2 1.0 1.4 0.8
18 Age not
stated
0.26 0.14 0.12 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.4
All ages 318.41 154.68 163.73 100 100 100 100
Table 7
District wise details of SC/ST population Census 2001
Sl.
No. India/State/District
Total population Scheduled Caste Scheduled Tribe
Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
1 Kasaragod 588083 615995 1204078 44904 45314 90218 15132 15206 30338
2 Kannur 1152817 1256139 2408956 48275 50716 98991 9793 10176 19969
3 Wayanad 391273 389346 780619 16738 16626 33364 67394 68668 136062
4 Kozhikode 1399358 1479773 2879131 98386 102597 200983 2924 3016 5940
5 Malappuram 1754576 1870895 3625471 140535 144907 285442 5996 6271 12267
6 Palakkad 1266985 1350497 2617482 210624 221954 432578 19990 19675 39665
7 Trichur 1422052 1522180 2974232 171443 182783 354226 2293 2533 4826
8 Ernakulam 1538397 1567401 3105798 129706 133812 263518 5079 4967 10046
9 Idukki 566682 562539 1129221 79389 79973 159362 25510 25463 50973
10 Kottayam 964926 988720 1953646 73885 76397 150282 8972 9368 18340
11 Alappuzha 1014529 1094631 2109160 96900 102331 199231 1565 1566 3131
12 Pathanamthitta 589398 644618 1234016 78731 83271 162002 3184 3365 6549
101
13 Kollam 1249621 1335587 2585208 156880 166007 322887 2447 2743 5190
14 Thiruvananthapuram 1569917 1664439 3234356 178718 192139 370857 9890 11003 20893
Kerala 15468614 16372760 31841374 1525114 1598827 3123941 180169 184020 364189
Share of Kerala (per
cent)
2.91 3.31 3.1 1.77 1.98 1.88 0.43 0.45 0.44
Table 8
Enrolment of SC students in Schools –District-wise and State-wise 2005-2006
Sl
.
N
o.
Districts L.P.S. (I-IV) U.P.S. (V-VII) H.S. (VIII-X) TOTAL
Boy
s
Girl
s
Tota
l
Bo
ys
Gir
ls
Tota
l
Bo
ys
Gir
ls
Tota
l
Boy
s
Girl
s
Tota
l
1 Thiruvanant
hapuram
124
71
123
67
248
38
999
3
949
0
194
83
992
7
971
3
196
40
323
91
315
70
639
61
2 Kollam 104
90
102
41
207
31
773
4
736
6
151
00
792
4
718
5
151
09
261
48
247
92
509
40
3 Pathanamthi
tta
468
0
467
4
935
4
361
1
340
6
701
7
411
5
378
4
789
9
124
06
118
64
242
70
4 Alleppey 580
3
543
5
112
38
427
8
407
4
835
2
483
9
449
7
933
6
149
20
140
06
289
26
5 Kottayam 490
4
472
0
962
4
376
5
350
3
726
8
358
4
358
7
414
1
122
53
118
10
240
63
6 Idukki 431
0
413
1
844
1
353
6
305
7
659
3
295
0
289
5
584
5
107
96
100
83
208
79
7 Ernakulam 825
1
758
2
158
33
627
9
564
3
119
22
597
1
577
1
117
42
205
01
189
96
394
97
8 Trichur 126 118 244 935 847 178 834 804 163 303 283 586
102
10 06 16 5 6 31 5 4 89 10 26 36
9 Palakkad 159
65
149
64
309
29
121
51
109
85
231
36
109
13
103
09
212
22
390
29
362
58
752
87
1
0
Malappuram 123
30
114
32
237
62
927
1
830
0
175
71
859
4
819
0
167
84
301
95
279
22
581
17
1
1
Kozhikode 667
3
641
7
130
90
495
6
444
4
940
0
488
0
452
0
940
0
165
09
153
81
318
90
1
2
Wynad 160
7
151
4
312
1
111
1
105
2
216
3
101
3
981 199
4
373
1
354
7
727
8
1
3
Kannur 280
7
257
4
538
1
208
2
187
7
395
9
208
5
204
9
413
4
697
4
650
0
134
74
1
4
Kasaragod 251
1
233
9
485
0
163
4
156
6
320
0
132
8
129
9
262
7
547
3
520
4
106
77
Total 105
412
100
196
205
608
797
56
732
39
152
995
764
68
728
24
149
292
261
636
246
259
507
895
Source: Directorate of Public Instruction, Thiruvananthapuram.
Table 9
Enrolment of Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe Students at
School Level 2006-2007 as on 1.10.2006
Standard General Scheduled
Caste
Scheduled
Tribe
All
Communities
I 364711 47070 8013 419794
II 387048 51275 8154 446477
III 395515 50389 8140 454044
103
IV 412754 54228 8175 475157
Sub Total 1560028 202962 32482 1795472
V 425778 53978 7746 487502
VI 422997 51898 6507 481402
VII 432438 51245 6126 489809
Sub Total 1281213 157121 20379 1458713
VIII 439830 50422 5817 496069
IX 448547 51421 5240 505208
X 407842 44415 4012 456269
Sub Total 1296219 146258 15069 1457546
Grand
Total
4137460 506341 67930 4711731
Source: Director of Public Instruction
Table 10
Enrolment of ST students in Schools –District-wise and State-wise 2005-2006
Sl
.
N
o.
Districts L.P.S. (I-IV) U.P.S. (V-VII) H.S. (VIII-X) TOTAL
Boy
s
Girl
s
Tot
al
Boy
s
Gir
ls
Tot
al
Bo
ys
Gir
ls
Tot
al
Boy
s
Girl
s
Tot
al
1 Thiruvanantha
puram
606 563 116
9
515 56
6
108
1
42
0
53
9
959 154
1
166
8
320
9
2 Kollam 215 222 437 239 15
1
390 25
2
18
7
439 706 560 126
6
3 Pathanamthitt
a
256 275 531 181 13
1
312 19
7
13
1
328 634 537 117
1
104
4 Alleppey 129 122 251 133 10
1
234 89 67 156 351 290 641
5 Kottayam 518 505 102
3
418 36
5
783 37
0
39
1
761 130
6
126
1
256
7
6 Idukki 151
6
127
4
279
0
106
0
98
5
204
5
90
5
76
3
166
8
348
1
302
2
650
3
7 Ernakulam 370 365 735 335 24
0
575 31
5
19
5
510 102
0
800 182
0
8 Trichur 302 451 753 160 26
4
424 13
9
21
1
350 601 926 152
7
9 Palakkad 209
6
192
8
402
4
994 78
5
177
9
64
4
58
4
122
5
373
1
329
7
702
8
10 Malappuram 505 457 962 369 29
3
662 25
4
19
8
452 112
8
948 207
6
11 Kozhikode 393 340 733 328 22
9
557 31
3
25
5
568 103
4
824 185
8
12 Wynad 682
1
640
9
132
30
338
8
31
97
658
5
23
91
23
51
474
2
126
00
119
57
245
57
13 Kannur 155
9
146
1
302
0
103
8
92
2
196
0
69
8
70
9
140
7
329
5
309
2
638
7
14 Kasaragod 144
5
132
1
276
6
990 86
7
185
7
80
0
81
7
161
7
323
5
300
5
624
0
Total 167
31
156
93
324
24
101
48
90
96
192
44
77
84
73
98
151
82
346
63
321
87
668
50
Source: Directorate of Public Instruction, Thiruvananthapuram.
105
Major Schemes of Scheduled Castes Development Department
Physical Achievement during 2002-03—2006-07 (up to 31.12.2006)
Sl.No. Name of
schemes
Unit 2002-
03
2003-
04
2004-
05
2005-
06
2006-
07
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 Pre-matriculation
studies (SC)
Students 420860 169488 422440 426084 296175
2 Special incentive
to talented
students
Students 3489 1352 5157 4291 3832
3 Post matric hostel Students 1002 1320 1280 989 973
4 Model
Residential
schools
School
students
661 625 952 1009 1013
5 Bharath Dharsan students 60 60 60 60
6 Financial
assistance to
failed SC
students for
continuing
education
Students 4784 1343 6343 474 679
7 Upgradation of
performance of
SC students in
sports and games
School
students
190 35 146 180
106
8 Self employment
scheme for SCs
Beneficiaries 98 618 377 95
9 Apprenticeship to
ITI/ITC/
Diploma holders
Trainees 106 420 399 115
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
10 Production cum
training centres
Trainees 1356 850 745 155
11 Grant to civil
services
examination
training society
Students 30 30 30 30
12 Training and
honorarium to SC
promoters
Promoters 1175 1175 1175 1175
13 Paramedical
education
Students 2199 799 213
14 Pre-matriculation
studies OBC
Students 89013 128545 117916 96863
15 Post-
matriculation
studies OBC
Students 64944 176565 148798 74186
16 Financial
assistance to
seriously ill SC
under poverty
line
Families 2975
107
17 PCR & PA Act Families 394 7 462 310 439
18 Coaching and
allied schemes
Center
students
18 65 2700 30
19 Development of
dependents of SC
who were
engaged in
unclean
occupation in the
past
Families 1550 835 481 215
20 Post-
matriculation
studies SC
Students 89093 83822 91306 98672 55746
21 Corpus fund Families 10291 11004 12472
Source: Scheduled Castes Development Department
Table
Physical Achievements of Schemes for Scheduled Tribes Development Department
for the Period 2002-03 to 2006-07 (up to 31-12-2006)
Sl.No. Name of Scheme Unit 2002-
03
2003-
04
2004-
05
2005-
06
2006-
07
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
I. State Sector Schemes
1 IEC Project I
Information, Education
& Communication
Project 52 1 1 1
108
2 Improvement of Tribal
Hostels
Hostel 37 16 8 4
3 Tutorial scheme for
school going students
and failed students
Student 3899 10000 1722 782 318
4 Girls hostels (50% state
share)
Hostels 2 2 2
5 Boys Hostels (50% state
share)
Hostells 2 1 1
6 Providing better
education facilities for
talented student
Students 48 100 25
7 Purchase of land for
construction of tribal
hostels
No.of
plots
2 - - -
8 Bharat Darshan Students 53 60 44 49 710
9 Incentive to specially
talented youths in Arts
and Sports
Youths 25 4 4 28 60
10 Health project
mananthavady under
Article 275(1)
Project 1
hospital
1
hospital
& 6 OP
clinics
3
11 Support to Group farms Families 3 740 2
12 Grant in aid to
Attappady co-op.
farming society for
Students 1 219 1
109
conducting a school and
a hospital
13 Grand in aid to
Ambedkar Memorial
Rural Institute for
development (AMRID)
Wayanad
Beneficiaries 1 70 1
14 Modernisation of Tribal
Development
Department
Project 1 1 1
15 Share capital
contribution to Kerala
State Development
Corporation for SC/ST
for implementing
schemes benefiting
Scheduled Tribes (State
share 51%)
Share capital Share
capital
Share
capital
Share
capital
16 Grant in aid to Kerala
Institute for Research
Training and
Development for sC/ST
(State share 50%)
Project 1 4 -
17 Provision of additional
apprenticeship for
ITC/ITI passed
candidates
Students 1 4 7 9
18 Special programmes for
primitive Tribal Groups
Beneficiaries 5432 6000 7976 8758 4103
110
– Adiyas and Paniyas
19 Tribal promoters Promoter 1000 1000 931 081 1000
20 Conduct of tribal youth
festivals
Youth
festivals
- 12 -
21 Special incentive to
Brilliant students
Students 493 6000 705 533 645
22 Enforcement of
Prevention f atrocities
Act 1989 (state share
50%)
Claims 6 claims 23 13
23 Providing health care
package to tribal
individuals affected by
diseases
Patients 1880 1615 7784 6721 4172
24 Implementation of land
allenataion Act 1975
25 Food support
programme
Families 35302 40131 62381 63099 32158
26 Assistance to Adikala
Kendram
Institution 1 1
27 Health project
Attappady (state share
25%) Article 275 (1)
OP clinics 2 OP
clinics
28 Post-matric hostels for
tribals
Students 62 3
29 Peripatetic education to Students 21 618 37
111
the PTG’s centres
30 Ayyankali memorial
talent search and
development scheme
Students 392 315 530 607 345
31 Organisation of
Oorukuttom
Oorukkoottam 624 1422 1895,34 607 286
32 Assistance to non-
government
organization
NGO’s 10
33 Opening of Grain
Banks
Centres 3 39 6
34 Trade and arts festivals
of STS
Festivals 1
35 Resettlement of
landless tribals
TRDM project 128 1438
36 Model residential
schools (18
Nos.)Revenue)
Students 3004 3440 3731 3851 3862
37 Dr.Mbedkar bhavan for
dalit empowerment
Building
38 Corpus fund for tribal
sub plan
4412 47 42
39 Peripatetic education to
the primitive tribes
Centres 21
Centrally
sponsored/Central
112
Sector Schemes
1 Construction of
building for model
residential schools (10
schools 50% CSS)
15 9 5
2 Postmatric scholarship
(100% CSS)
3211 5000
3 Vocational training
institute (100% CSS)
Students 3 3 72 3
4 Upgradation of merits
of ST students (100%
CSS)
10 10 -
5 Construction of MRS,
Idukki
1 1 1
6 Construction of
Attappady health
project hospital
1 1 1
7 Construction of MRS
Pookote, Article 275(1)
1
8 Construction of MRS,
Njaranceli, Art. 275(1)
1 1 1
9 New Central Sector
Scheme for PTG’s
(100% CSS) (Insurance
coverage)
500
Source: Scheduled tribes Development Department
113
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EDUCATIONAL SURVEY
(Survey conducted by C. K. Ahammed, Farook College, to investigate the Socio-Psychological
and economic Problems faced by the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students in the under
114
graduate classes in malappuram and kozhikode districts of kerala in learning english as a second
language)
1. Name and address of the student :…………………………………………….
2. Name of college: ……………………….……. :Class….…….…Division……
3. college Address : ……………………………………………………………...
4. Age : ………… Caste : ……………………. Sub Caste : …………………...
5. Distance from the house to the college : ………………………………………
How do you reach the college : ……………………………………...
6. Details about the family members : ………………………………..……..
Total members : ……………. Adult : ……………. Children : …………...
No. Name Relation- ship Age Educational Qualification Class which studying Profession
Remarks
7. Name of your House : Self Rented
8. Type of the house : Tiled Thatched
9. Electrified or not : Yes No
10.Total no. of rooms in the house: ……………………………..
11. Landed property for agriculture near house: Yes No
If yes details : …………………………..
12. How do you meet educational expenses :
Govt. Grant Held from others from parents Self employment
Any other
115
Write details : …………………………………………………………….
13. Do you help your parents during your studies? Yes No
Write details : ……………………………………………………………..
14. Is the property sufficient for your family expenses? Yes No
If, No, how do you meet the additional amount? Yes No
15. Do you get educational support from relatives? Yes No
If yes, give details : ………………………………………………………
16. Have you stopped your studies in the middle of your course? Yes No
If yes, give details : ………………………………………………………
17. Facilities in the house
Table Chair Study room Dictionary Others
Write details? : ……………………………………………………………..
18. Details of additional facilities that you expect ……………………………
19. Do you get educational support from government? Yes No
If you get educational support from Government: ………………………..
20. Do you expect additional support (aid) from Government? Yes No
Give details ……………………………………………………………….
21. (a) Do you stay in the hostel? ……………………………. Yes No
(b) If yes name and address of the hostel: ………………………………..
(c) Are you satisfied in your stay in the hostel?
Give details …………………………………………………………….
116
Benefits in staying in the hostel : ……………………………………..
Do you get additional coaching classes for difficult subjects from
Hostel?
If yes, details …………………………………………………………
22. Educational support/facilities near your house
Reading room Library Support from Neighbours Others
Give details ……………………………………………………………….
23. Do you read news papers regularly? ………………………………………
If yes, name of the papers you read ……………………………………….
24. Do you have radio/TV in the house? Yes No
If yes, which programmes do you listen regularly? ………………………
Write details ……………………………………………………………….
25. Is there TV facility near your house? Yes No
Write details ……………………………………..
If yes, which programme do you see regularly
How much time do you spend for T.V. every day? …………………….
Do you think T.V. affect your studies? Yes No
If there any study aids like computer/electronic in your house? Yes No
Write details ……………………………………………………………
26. Do you get enough study aids/dress and others Yes No
117
Write details ………………………………………………………………
27. Do you feel financial problems while you study? Yes No
Details ……………………………………………………………………
28. How much time do you spend for your studies in a day? ………………..
29. Is there any interference that affect your studies like – Quarrel/ Transport
problem / Domestic Problem / interference from others / Any other
Details ……………………………………………………………………..
30. Is there drug addicts in your house ? Yes No
If yes how did that affect your studies? …………………………………..
31. Is there neighbouring houses in your locality? Yes No
Details ……………………………………………………………….
32. (a) Do you live in a colony Yes No
If yes how many houses are there? Details
(b) How many students from the colony studying with you? ……….
(c) Do you feel inferiority complex while mingling with others? Yes No
If yes, give reasons …………………………………………………..
33. (a) How many students from you community/caste/tribe are there in your
class? ……………………
(b) Do they behave in an impolite manner to you? Yes No
(c) Do you have fear or tension in sitting in front bench? Yes No
If yes, details?
118
34. Do you think there are deficiencies in the classroom teaching? Yes No
If yes, say it is due to: (a) Teacher is too fast (b) sound and pronunciation not clear (c) Shortage
of description (d) above standard (e) ignoring lower castes (f) giving priority to some children
(g) not giving notes (h) untrained (i) any others? Give details ……
35. Do you think the upper class society ignore and suppress the lower class
caste/ tribes? Yes No
Details……………………………………….
36. Are you a later starter in the school
If yes, give reasons ……………..
Do you attend classes regularly ? Yes No
If no give reasons ……………….
37. Factors or persons who motivate and encourage you ……….
38. Do you feel insult from others calling your caste/tribe name?
Write details ……
39. Do you live under the control of a landlord?
If yes, write your problems?
40. Do you participate in the extra curricular activities? Yes No
If yes, write the items/programmes………
41. Do you like to join in educational tours? ……….
If yes, what you expect from it?
42 (a) Details of festivals celebrating in your house? …………
(b) How do the festival affect your studies?
119
Do the family feel financial problems after the festivals?
If yes, write details……..
(d) How do the family meet the expenses?
43. Marital status of your brothers/sisters with details?
44. Do your parents attend the P.T.A. meeting? Yes No
If no, give details
45. (a) Are you studying in a tribal college? Yes No
If yes, do you like it?
46.From the following which problem/problems affect your studies?
Structural difference between English and Malayalam
Problems in reading due to lack of basic knowledge.
Difficulty in grammar
Difficulty in writing
Difficulty in reading connected words
Teachers pay more attention to students who came from English medium schools.
Teachers are untrained
Less explanation with enough examples
Lack of individual attention
Any others …. Write details…….
47. (a) Do you agree that the English teacher should teach in a well simple
manner? Yes No
120
48. (a) What are your suggestions to make English learning and teaching
effective? ………………………………………………
(b) What do you expect more from your relatives parents or others to make English learning
effective and fruitful? …………….
49. What do you expect more from college authorities/well wishers to make English learning
effective and fruitful? ………………………
50. Suggest any 10 remedial measures for solving the problems that effect in your English
language learning ……
Place: ………………… Name of Student
Date: ………………… Signature
121
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