Educational Status of Santhal Community. A study of a school dropout in Santhal Children of Eastern Nepal

Abstract

The government of Nepal has taken initiatives to increase the enrollment of the students and keep them in school by making tuition fee free up to secondary level, offering various scholarship schemes for girls, marginalized and indigenous children; however, the dropout rate of children in Nepal is still high and, in the case of Santhal children, it is even higher. In this context, the current study seeks to critically explore the reasons for the high dropout rate among Santhal students. This study is the result of a qualitative field research conducted in Gauradaha and Korobari Village Development Committees in Nepal in May and June 2014. This study includes the voices of teachers, parents, dropouts and educationists, which are supplemented by the researcher`s observation notes, government and school data. Drawing on the theories of dropout and social capital, this study aims at finding out how the lack of social capital in school, family and community affects the educational attainment of Santhal children. This information can be used to develop programs designed to increase social capital in schools, families, and communities, which can contribute to a decrease in the dropout behavior. The findings show that students who are unable to develop social capital in the forms of school social capital, family social capital, or community social capital, or a combination of these three forms, have a more difficult time completing school. Using qualitative methods along with the numerical data in the form of tables, the stories of students, teachers, parents and educationist have shown that the lack of or the lower social capital which is persistent in the Santhal community has contributed to the dropout behavior of Santhal children. Key words: Santhal, education, school dropout, social capital, Adibasi/Janajati