Volume I Special Issue I September 2021

Name of Author : Dr. Chandrasekharan Praveen

Title of the paper : English Language for Tribal Empowerment- Issues in Pedagogy

Abstract: In India, the National Education Policy 1986 made a novel proposal for development of instructional materials for tribal school children. Practising teachers know that empowerment through education particularly of tribal students has to be context specific. Informal inquiries made by the investigator found that pedagogic practices employed in tribal schools have failed to sustain the interest of tribal school children resulting in dropout. While literacy it is acknowledged has its own benefits, it is not fully known how a foreign language like English was introduced in tribal schools as part of the three-language formula implemented across the country. While acculturation and assimilation is usually perceived as both an individual and group process it is doubtful whether in the teaching of a foreign language like English, if this aspect was carefully addressed. Educationists know that a language is best learned through interaction. Did teachers in tribal schools employ strategies that foster communication in English among tribal school children? Were the English language learning materials context specific? In the selection and appointment of teachers for teaching tribal students, was preference given for teachers who are adept at transacting curriculum in tribal settings? While teaching a foreign language like English were the what, why and how of teaching, clearly identified? To find answers to these questions, data was collected through traditional empirical study of documents and studies conducted on tribal education and through informal interviews with teachers in tribal schools. Analysis of the data collected revealed that the pedagogic strategies employed for teaching a foreign language like English in tribal schools seldom matched the needs of learners. In several instances, the language policy formulated by national bodies for the whole country was blindly implemented without adapting it to match the ability and need of learners hailing from the tribal belt. The study reiterates the need for implementing language learning programmes after meticulously addressing the complex realities of tribal life. It also affirms that a thorough grounding in basic literacy has to be ensured prior to teaching of a foreign language like English. And more significantly, if empowerment through English is the goal, the learners and the community they hail from must possess a felt need for learning English and be sufficiently motivated to learn a language that they are not likely to use regularly.

Keywords : Empowerment, English, Literacy, Mother Tongue, Tribal

DOI :

Page Number : 74-80